The Boston Marathon Is Held on Patriots' Day, Which Has Become an Unofficial Anti-Government Day of Action

The Boston Marathon always occurs on Patriots' Day, observed each year on the third Monday in April as a commemoration of the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Residents of Massachusetts and Maine celebrate Patriots' Day with re-enactments of those early battles of the American Revolution. But in recent years, Second Amendment activists and anti-government modern-day militia members have tried to co-opt the holiday, which also roughly marks the anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing.

In 2010, the Daily Beast's John Avlon chronicled an attempt by one militia-affiliated group to host a pro-gun rally in Oklahoma City on Patriots' Day. The organizers eventually rescheduled that event under pressure from local officials, but a separate rally did proceed in Washington, D.C.