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New Hampshire has a long and unfortunate history of experience with sovereign citizens, dating back to the 1990s, when the radical antigovernment movement attracted a following in the state鈥檚 rural areas that culminated with a tragic shooting rampage.

The movement鈥檚 adherents, however, have lingered on the state鈥檚 fringes so long, and attracted enough followers in the intervening years, that now some of them not only have won election to the state鈥檚 Legislature, but are now introducing bills that would protect and enhance sovereign citizens鈥� extremist 鈥渃onstitutional鈥� beliefs.

A sovereign聽citizen legislator from Hookset named Richard 鈥淒ick鈥� Marple sponsored the bill, , which would essentially protect such common activities by movement followers as filing phony liens against state and local government officials. If passed, not only would sovereign citizens have their imaginary 鈥渃ontracts鈥� under which they file these liens recognized, but any municipality refusing to play along could be fined $10,000 by the state.

The bill uses the typically arcane and obscure language common to sovereign citizens鈥� pseudo-legal filings:

All contracts with sovereign "inhabitants" defined under Part II Article 30 of the New Hampshire Constitution and sojourners in this Republic shall have all elements of any contract being offered, fully and completely disclosed and explained; particularly those contracts involving an ens legis or strawman, as commonly referred.聽 A sovereign inhabitant will be harmed by any unrevealed element if such inhabitant does not reserve his or her rights under RSA 382-A:1-103 and RSA 382-A:1-308; therefore these 2 citations are to be included above the signature line on the contract, with the words "all rights reserved" or "without prejudice RSA 382-A:1-306, RSA 382-A:1-103, UCC 1-103, UCC 1-308."

The bill goes on to stipulate that 鈥渢he failure of any corporation to provide full disclosure of all elements of every contract as required by paragraph I shall result in the forfeiture of $10,000 to the state treasury.鈥�

Marple pre-filed the bill in November. It will go before the Legislature in January 2018.

Among the state鈥檚 sovereign聽citizen contingent, Marple, an 85-year-old Republican with multiple stints in the Legislature, is something of a venerated figure, since he has been promoting the ideology since his earlier stints in the assembly dating back to 1999. Most recently he achieved a kind of notoriety for over his refusal to buy a drivers license, and then haranguing the district-court judge at his hearing on the matter (which he eventually lost).

Marple previously had introduced a bill in the State House, in January 2017, that would have effectively ended vehicle registration in New Hampshire, while simultaneously jailing or fining what Marple described as 鈥渢he culprits that have unlawfully trespassed upon the people's right to travel and committed the common law crime of unlawful conversion of people's private property.鈥� The bill died in committee.

When he came to trial in April 2017, Marple created a classic sovereign-citien-style spectacle in the courtroom, yelling at the judge, claiming she had no jurisdiction because she had not filled out his 鈥渁ffidavit of truth,鈥� calling her a 鈥減rivate profit making corporation,鈥� warning her that she had been 鈥渃onvicted鈥� of violations by a common-law court, and assuring her that he did not need to have a license. Despite the judge鈥檚 patient persistence in inviting Marple to participate in his trial, he refused, calling the proceedings a 鈥渇raud.鈥�

As the judge left the courtroom, Marple turned to his supporters and claimed victory: 鈥淎s she walks out and is defeated by being the first one to leave the battleground,鈥� he said. Supporters in the audience applauded.

Two weeks later, the judge issued Marple his sentence by mail, which included $310 in fines, all suspended provided he had no vehicle infractions in the subsequent six months.

One of Marple鈥檚 biggest supporters in spreading the sovereign-citizen ideology has been Ian Bernard 鈥淔reeman,鈥� a Keene, New Hampshire.-based supporter of the movement who operates the website and whose video of Marple haranguing the judge went viral.

Freeman is a onetime libertarian activist who came to the state as part of the 鈥淔ree State Project鈥� and hosts a nationally syndicated Internet radio show, Free Talk Live, that at one time regularly promoted the project, in addition to running the website. The is a libertarian initiative that urged adherents of the ideology to move to a single state that could become a model of the movement, with New Hampshire the chosen state; to date, it has boasted only modest success, though a number of legislators have been elected under its banner.

But then Freeman opined on air about age-of-consent laws 鈥� he doesn鈥檛 believe there should be any 鈥斅燼nd was given the boot from Free State Project, which severed all ties with him. Shortly afterward, amid , but no charges ever emerged from that raid, and Freeman has continued promoting sovereign-citizen ideology on his website.

One of Freeman鈥檚 former Free State Project cohorts, Christopher Cantwell, later gained national notoriety for his leading role in the 鈥淯nite the Right鈥� event in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August.

Also, one of Marple鈥檚 co-sponsors on the current House bill, Rep. Ed Comeau, R-Brookfield, is a member of the Free State Project. When he ran in 2014, to "construct the largest human network of surveillance on this government. My intent will be to put the power of the people to control their own destiny back in their hands. I will tirelessly work to ensure that the government is held accountable to the people."

New Hampshire鈥檚 unfortunate experience with sovereign citizens well precedes any involvement by the movement with the Free State Project, which began officially in 2005. In 1997, a sovereign citizen named went on a violent shooting rampage in which two police officers were killed and three more wounded, along with a judge and newspaper editor who were slain.聽