Armed militiamen protesting the prosecution of two ranchers vow to stay indefinitely

A group of armed protesters have taken over a building in a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon.

A spokesman for the group, Ammon Bundy, the son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who is well known for anti-government action, told CNN they are protesting the government’s control over the land.

The standoff reportedly started after protesters and militia members converged on the small town of Burns, Oregon. Supporters showed up Saturday for Dwight Hammon and Steven Hammon, father and son ranchers jailed on an arson conviction in 2001.

The father severed three months and the son served one year, but a judge ruled their terms were too short under federal law and ordered them back to prison.

The Hammonds are scheduled to being their five-year prison sentences Monday.

Jeremy Roth reports.