The 2014 Bundy Standoff was a significant event in the United States involving a dispute over public land use. It took place in southeastern Nevada and was led by cattle rancher [[Cliven Bundy]] against the United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The standoff began as a result of a 21-year legal dispute between Bundy and the BLM over unpaid grazing fees that Bundy owed for using federally-owned land adjacent to his ranch. The BLM claimed that Bundy owed over $1 million in fees and had repeatedly ignored court orders to remove his cattle from federal land. # Militia vigilantes In April 2014, the BLM began a roundup of Bundy's cattle as a means of enforcing the court orders. This action sparked a protest from Bundy and a group of armed supporters who confronted the BLM; the [[militia]] demanded the release of the cattle. The situation escalated into an armed standoff between Bundy's supporters and law enforcement, raising serious concerns about public safety. The BLM eventually backed down, citing safety concerns, and returned the cattle they had rounded up. The standoff drew national attention and sparked a wider debate about public land use in the Western United States. It also led to further confrontations between [[anti-government]] groups and federal agencies, including the 2016 occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. In 2016, Bundy was arrested BY THE [[FBI]] and charged with multiple federal offenses related to the standoff. However, in 2018, a federal judge dismissed all charges due to prosecutorial misconduct.