Gavin David Seim (born January 17, 1985, in

Ephrata, Washington Ephrata ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Grant County, Washington, United States. Its population was 8,477 at the 2020 census. History Ephrata was officially incorporated on June 21, 1909 and was given the county seat for the newly creat ...

) is an American

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

, self-described

constitutionalist Constitutionalism is "a compound of ideas, attitudes, and patterns of behavior elaborating the principle that the authority of government derives from and is limited by a body of fundamental law". Political organizations are constitutional ...

conspiracy theorist A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy by sinister and powerful groups, often political in motivation, when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * * * * The term has a nega ...

, filmmaker and photographer, known for using confrontational

sovereign citizen ''Sovereign'' is a title which can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin , meaning 'above'. The roles of a sovereign vary from monarch, ruler or ...

tactics against law enforcement. He posted a viral, controversial video on the internet, entitled "Citizen Pulls Cop Over." He also organized an "I Will NOT Comply" rally and posted a video about the same subject. In 2014, he ran, unsuccessfully, for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

. He placed eighth in the open primary, obtaining approximately two percent of the votes cast. In 2015, he was arrested for interfering with a court, assault on a police officer,

disorderly conduct Disorderly conduct is a crime in most jurisdictions in the United States, the People's Republic of China, and Taiwan. Typically, "disorderly conduct" makes it a crime to be drunk in public, to " disturb the peace", or to loiter in certain are ...

, and

contempt of court Contempt of court, often referred to simply as "contempt", is the crime of being disobedient to or disrespectful toward a court of law and its officers in the form of behavior that opposes or defies the authority, justice, and dignity of the cour ...

. On December 8, 2017, he failed to appear in Grant County District Court on charges of obstruction of a law enforcement officer and harassment in connection with an August 2017 arrest in

. Seim claimed illegal conduct from the court and prosecutor, including a motion which would force him to unlock his phone and said that he refused to comply. A warrant with a $5,000 bond was issued for his arrest. According to press reports, Seim has fled to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. He continues to post videos refusing to abide by Mexican police checkpoints, demanding they speak English, and provides dangerous "advice" on how to confront police during routine stops. On February 13, 2020, Gavin Seim claimed that the Mexican government gave him and his family protected person status and permanent residency.

Political views

Second Amendment

During a protest in

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Canada ...

, in 2014, Seim stated, "The people should be armed equal to the police. If they can have an MRAP ine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle we can have a tank."

Abortion

Seim is against abortion and believes that life begins at conception; he also believes that the "right to life" lies at the very core of both liberty and the Constitution.

Foreign policy

The US ambassador in Mexico has called Seim a "spoiled brat" and a perfect example of the "Ugly American" regarding Seims opinions on which laws to obey in Mexico.

Pandemic conspiracies

Seim believes

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

is nothing more than a common cold and lockdown measures are unconstitutional. After obtaining refugee status, Seim continued to practice civil disobedience, refusing to wear locally mandated masks when required and challenging local Mexican authorities

2014 election

In 2014, Seim ran for the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, to represent Washington state's 4th Congressional District. He ran as a Republican, using the slogan, "No More Politicians". Seim lost in the primary, receiving 2.56% of the vote, which was 1,462 of the 73,264 votes counted. $7,676.00 was donated to his campaign in total.

"I Will NOT Comply" rally

Seim organized an "I Will NOT Comply" rally which took place in December 2014 in

Olympia The name Olympia may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Olympia'' (1938 film), by Leni Riefenstahl, documenting the Berlin-hosted Olympic Games * ''Olympia'' (1998 film), about a Mexican soap opera star who pursues a career as an athlet ...

. The rally was in protest of Washington State Initiative 594, which had recently passed by a 19-point margin and expanded gun sale background checks to private sales and exchanges. Seim refused to obtain a permit for the rally, but notified the government of his intent to hold the rally. In response, the government informed him that another pro-gun group was planning a rally for the same day in the same location. Seim responded that he was only informing them of his plans, not asking for authorization. He intended for the rally to be a

civil disobedience Civil disobedience is the active, professed refusal of a citizen to obey certain laws, demands, orders or commands of a government (or any other authority). By some definitions, civil disobedience has to be nonviolent to be called "civil". Hen ...

event. However, a spokesman for the

Washington State Patrol The Washington State Patrol (WSP) is the state patrol agency for the U.S. state of Washington. Organized as the Washington State Highway Patrol in 1921, it was renamed and reconstituted in 1933. The agency is charged with the protection of the Gov ...

stated that openly exchanging guns as the rally intended would not be illegal, since handing a gun to another person would not be considered a "transfer" within the meaning of i594. Seim spoke at the event, arguing that

mass shooting There is a lack of consensus on how to define a mass shooting. Most terms define a minimum of three or four victims of gun violence (not including the shooter or in an inner city) in a short period of time, although an Australian study from 200 ...

events were caused by gun regulation. While on stage, Seim burned his state concealed weapons permit and said that those who want tanks and bazookas should purchase them.

Ammon Bundy Ammon Edward Bundy (born September 1, 1975) is an American anti-government militant and activist. A car fleet manager by profession, Bundy gained widespread attention by leading the 2016 occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. He is t ...

, who had participated in the

Bundy standoff The 2014 Bundy standoff was an armed confrontation between supporters of cattle rancher Cliven Bundy and law enforcement following a 21-year legal dispute in which the United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM) obtained court orders directin ...

(which arose from a dispute between Bundy's father and the

United States Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands. Headquartered in Washington DC, and with oversight over , it governs one eighth of the country's la ...

), was scheduled to speak at the event, but refused to show up.

2015 arrest

In 2015, Seim attended the hearing of 19-year-old Tavis Shasteen, who was cited for refusing to provide a

driver's license A driver's license is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, cars, trucks, or buses—on a public ...

to a police officer when stopped for speeding. Seim insisted on representing Shasteen, but the court would not allow it, since Seim was not an attorney. The court also would not allow him to live-stream the hearing. Seim was subsequently arrested. Seim was booked into jail for interfering with a court, disorderly conduct, and contempt of court. He was sentenced to 14 days

house arrest In justice and law, house arrest (also called home confinement, home detention, or, in modern times, electronic monitoring) is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to their residence. Travel is usually restricted, if all ...

and 12 months

probation Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration. In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incarceration), such ...

Ties to the Bundy standoff and the occupation of MNWR

participated in the

in 2014 and led armed militants in the

occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge On January 2, 2016, an armed group of far-right extremists seized and occupied the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Harney County, Oregon, and continued to occupy it until law enforcement made a final arrest on February 11 ...

in 2016. Bundy was scheduled to speak at the "I Will NOT Comply" event that Seim organized in 2014, but Bundy did not show up. At the end of the MNWR occupation in early 2016, Seim hosted live streams of the remaining four occupiers. David Fry, the last remaining occupier, called Seim, who streamed the audio over the internet. Seim urged Fry to peacefully leave the refuge. He also made various videos supporting those arrested. Additionally, he became an editor of the official Bundy Ranch Facebook page.

Alleged donation misuse

Seim posted links on his website to numerous fundraiser pages for those arrested for participating in the 2014 Bundy standoff and/or the 2016 MNWR Occupation. In addition he urged donations he claims to have used for educational and direct support for jailed defendants. Petitions have been made demanding full accounting of how the funds were spent as donors suspected that money was used in Seim's own personal interests including drone and RV accessories.

2017 arrests

On August 17, 2017, Seim was arrested following an altercation with a police officer at the Ephrata Walmart. Seim was charged with harassing and obstructing a police officer. Shortly after being arrested Seim posted a Facebook Live video in which he claimed that the police officer was "harassing some woman in her pickup truck" and "trying to be cool", so he started to record the stop. While being arrested, a police officer seized Seim's phone. Seim was released from Grant County Jail after posting a $2,000 bond. In October 2017, Seim appeared at Grant County District Court regarding the case. He notified the court of his intent to represent himself in all future court proceedings. During the hearing Seim contended that the phone seized during his arrest was taken without a warrant. Seim argued that he was legally allowed to film the police officer as he was on a traffic stop. Deputy Prosecutor Marc Fedorak explained that a warrant had been obtained to conduct a search of the phone, but efforts to search the phone had been unsuccessful because the device was password-protected. Judge Mark A. Chmelewski denied Seim's motion to have his phone returned, after finding that "the phone was properly seized", but ordered the state to return the phone to Seim within 21 days. In November 2017, Seim posted a video to his YouTube page explaining that he had chosen not to appear in court because he feared that doing so risked his family's lives. Several days later, Seim posted another video from Mexico. This showed his family leaving

Ephrata Ephrata may refer to: Places * Ephrata, Suriname * Ephrata, Pennsylvania, U.S. *Ephrata, Washington, U.S. * Ephrata Township, Pennsylvania, U.S. Other uses *Ephrata Cloister, a religious community in Ephrata, Pennsylvania See also * * Efrata or E ...

and crossing the border into Mexico. Seim defended his decision to travel to Mexico, arguing that "I didn't run from law or justice. Prosecutor Marc edorakhas nothing to do with either one and neither does the judge and neither does Grant County, neither does my sheriff. I'm not hiding. I'm changing the narrative." In December 2017, at the request of Deputy Prosecutor Marc Fedorak, Judge Chmelewski issued a $5,000

bench warrant An arrest warrant is a warrant issued by a judge or magistrate on behalf of the state, which authorizes the arrest and detention of an individual, or the search and seizure of an individual's property. Canada Arrest warrants are issued by a ju ...

for Seim's arrest after he failed to appear at a court hearing held on December 8, 2017. Fedorak told the court that the State intended to dismiss the harassment charge previously brought against Seim, but would file at least one bail jumping charge against Seim. Fedorak said Seim appeared to be living in an "alternate universe" and called Seim's actions "silly" and "very unfortunate".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seim, Gavin 1985 births Activists from Washington (state) Filmmakers from Washington (state) American gun rights activists American political activists Armed standoffs in the United States Bundy standoff Living people People from Ephrata, Washington Sovereign citizen movement individuals Washington (state) Libertarians Washington (state) Republicans