MOUNT VERNON — A flyer seeking to recruit “veterans with experience” to participate in a “Mount Vernon and Vienna militia” has raised alarm in the Kennebec County towns, where residents say it has been posted at several local shops.

The piece of paper, which has tear-off tabs with a Vermont phone number, states: “Let’s face it, Times are threatening to our well-being.” Followed by: “WEEKLY MEETINGS, Veterans with experience wanted. Let’s group together + Talk about guns.” The words are all handwritten.

Two area residents, who asked not to be named out of concern for their safety, expressed concerns about the message posted on the front wall of Flying Pond Variety in Mount Vernon and several other locations in the area.

Those concerns were amplified after the tragic events of last week, when a shooter killed 18 people in a bar and bowling alley in Lewiston then fled, rocking Maine into a state of disbelief. In the days after the massacre and as suspect Robert Card remained on the lam, gun shops in Maine saw swift business as people loaded up on arms and ammunition.

“This is a very sensitive issue,” one of the residents said Tuesday.

When contacted by a reporter, state police said they would look into the matter.

Private militias, not operated by the government, are illegal in Maine — and every state in the U.S.

“No group of persons, other than federal or state military forces, may join together as a military organization or parade in public with firearms,” acoording to Maine law.

The town offices said they have not received any complaints about the flyer. The Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office, which patrols those towns, did not respond to a request for a comment, including whether anyone had complained to the agency about the so-called militia.

The group’s founder, when contacted by the Kennebec Journal using the phone number on the flyer, said the group is meant to help residents learn survival skills, including camping and how to use various weapons, from slingshots to guns. He said it is not affiliated with any other group in the state.

“People who know each other, can help each other,” said the founder, who identified himself as Rob and declined to provide his full name. He said he was 36 years old and lived in the “Vienna-Mount Vernon region.”

Rob said that he started the militia before the Lewiston shootings, but could not recall exactly when. The primary objective?

“So, people can learn how to survive,” he said. “They need to know basic skills like camping, surviving without power.”

When asked if survival includes weapon training, he said: “Yes it does, it can be anything, a handgun, bow-and-arrow or a slingshot. With guns, it’s the safe usage of one, how to maintain them and clean them.”

Rob added that he is a construction worker and has previously been a part of a “militia” in Monmouth. He declined to specify how many people had expressed interest in signing up, but noted the number was not enough to be able to rent the Mount Vernon Grange Hall for meetings. No meetings have been scheduled, as he is awaiting responses from more people.

“I am looking for veterans because they have knowledge. They know how to survive,” the man said. “This is something every town should have. This (the militia) is simply to prepare people, it’s nothing to do with race or any of that. It’s to open people’s eyes to things.”

Rob said he plans to eventually get in touch with the local fire department and the police to discuss his plans and seek their cooperation.

“Anyone who knows me knows that I am a good person,” Rob added.

At least one resident said they had brought the issue to the attention of state police.

“We will be reaching out to this resident who brought this issue forward and we will be following up,” Lt. Aaron Turcotte of the Maine State Police told the Kennebec Journal.

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