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"If you look under the Constitution, a militia can be formed," he said. "Watch and see. Who's going to stop us?"
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I love when people hide behind "it's my right to do this, so I can do what I want!"
There is a fine line between citizens defending their homes (a good thing) and a bunch of vigilantes taking the law in their own hands (a bad thing).
These guys would have no legal authority to do anything. They can't pull someone over, they can't forcibly detain anyone (a citizen's arrest doesn't mean you can handcuff someone and lock them up somewhere or hold them at gunpoint), they can't claim self defense if they chase after someone. Heck, they can't even legally carry guns. Just going on patrol while armed could land them in jail.
What exactly is it that you expect them to do?
These people, who appear to have the best of intentions and only want to be safe in their homes, could very well find themselves in jail facing felony charges sooner than the people they are trying to protect themselves from. Once that happens, then the criminals really know which houses aren't protected, since it WILL make the news when some guy on patrol gets arrested. There's a big difference between being armed in your home, ready to defend it, and going looking for people.
There's a little bit of "game theory" to consider here. What will the BGs do in response? Will they start a little vigilante justice of their own against the militia members? Or will they just leave?
It almost sounds like the plot of a movie we'd end up making fun of. "A small town, frustrated with lack of police protection, takes the law into its own hands."
What would I do if it was my neighborhood? If my town was that bad, I'd move. The neighborhood won't be cleaned up by a few people going on patrol, especially with no law enforcement. I'm not going to get myself arrested, leaving my family REALLY undefended.
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If they are armed criminals, they are some of the most noble armed criminals I've seen.
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Therein lies the worst part about this situation. I totally agree with what they want to do: defend their homes, families, and neighborhoods.
It stinks that they are breaking the law as well, in a very visible way, and could probably end up in jail for it.