Ryan Bundy talks with media inside the Malheur Wildlife Refuge occupation on Jan. 6, 2016, in Burns Oregon. Bundy was protesting BLM land use rules in the western United States.
Ryan Bundy says government — especially the federal government — has reached far beyond what it should and must be reined in and stop violating individual rights.
After a more than two-year battle with federal forces over his family’s refusal to comply with BLM demands they pay huge amounts of back grazing fees, he said the most egregious violations occur in court.
“The judicial system here in Nevada is not honoring the rights of man,” he said. “There are gross violations of men’s rights taking place in the court system. I’ve witnessed that and experienced it.”
Bundy, son of Bunkerville rancher Cliven Bundy, is running as a non-partisan candidate for governor, which has prompted some supporters of Republican Adam Laxalt to charge that all he can do is take enough votes from Laxalt to ensure victory for Democrat Steve Sisolak.
Bundy said the way he sees it, Laxalt may take enough votes from him to ensure a Sisolak victory.
“Who’s splitting the vote here? I’m just as legitimate a candidate as anybody else.”
As governor, he said he would do everything in his power to stop federal overreach into the rights of states, local government and individuals. He pointed to the 10th Amendment that states all powers not specifically delegated to the federal government is reserved to the states and the people.
He said he would also fight to stop state overreach into the affairs of local governments.
The biggest of those issues, he said, is ownership of Nevada lands, now 86 percent controlled by the federal government. That battle is the core of the Bundy family’s battle with BLM. They refuse to acknowledge federal ownership of the land they graze cattle on.
“I think Nevada has been held down by the federal government for so many years,” he said.
Bundy said his best qualification for the office of governor is his understanding of the founding principles of government in this country.
“The only legitimate purpose for government is to aid the individual in claiming and using his rights,” he said. “Because I understand that and understand that government is not supposed to intrude in our life, I believe I can be a better governor than individuals that don’t recognize that.”
He said a good example is the numerous licenses and fees businessmen have to pay to do business in Nevada. He said they shouldn’t have to get “state permission” to conduct business but that, right now, Nevada is one of the most heavily regulated and licensed business climates in the nation.
“Occupational licensing reform needs to take place,” he said.
Bundy said his message has been well received in many places he has gone to campaign this season and that major candidates in the race are in for a surprise in November.