Brian Gunderson

On January 6th, 2021, Brian traveled with his mother to attend the “March to Save America” rally in Washington, D.C.  In a livestream interview, he stated, “I wanted to be one of the brave people and man up.”  Just as Brian felt a sense of belonging and purpose as a hero on his football team, he was drawn to the idea of joining the ranks of those defending American values. Donning his letterman jacket on the day of the rally, Brian said, “I wasn’t planning on doing anything illegal, so I didn’t think wearing the jacket would be a problem.” However, it was this very jacket that allowed authorities to identify him easily when he joined the crowd of over 2,000 that day that entered the State Capitol. 

In retrospect, Brian acknowledged that he had been “off his medication for several days.” As the crowd’s energy surged, Brian found himself caught up in the excitement, later reflecting, “I don’t know what I was thinking. I was caught in mob mode.” “I was not in my right mind. It was like a trance.”

Arriving at the Capitol, Brian joined other participants from the rally, climbed the steps up to a window, and shouted at officers stationed inside. He then went on to enter the Capitol through the Parliamentarian Door and, once inside, entered the Parliamentarian’s Office. After approximately eight minutes, he continued peacefully moving through the building and exited. 

Brian eventually made his way back to the Northwest Courtyard, re-entered the Capitol, and, after leaving once more, stayed within the Capitol grounds. While inside the building, Brian did not engage in any violence or destruction of property. Brian said, “I walked past a cop, and we fist bumped. And the cop told me, “You guys are awesome!” Brian explained that while he was in the Capitol, people were being encouraged to get hyped up, and he was just going along with what other people were doing. 

Although he signed a statement admitting to police assault, he felt he had no other choice and did so only to comply and not anger the court. In a livestream interview, Brian said, “I hit a riot shield with my elbow as I was exiting past the police officers. The judge considered that action an assault, and that is what really got me. That is what they gave me eighteen months for.”  “I was thinking of a music video by the band My Chemical Romance where the lead singer did the same thing and hit a riot shield.” I thought, “I’m going to be just like the singer, Gerad Way, and I’m going to hit the riot shield with my elbow.”

Brian was arrested on 1/27/21 in State College, PA. Although his public defender, Eugene Ohm, indicated in court that Brian had underlying mental health issues and appealed for a lesser sentence, Brian was sentenced to 18 months in Federal prison. In addition to the 18 months, U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras also sentenced him to 36 months of supervised release and ordered him to pay $2,000 in restitution to the Architect of the Capitol. Brian was found and pleaded guilty to two felony charges, including obstruction of an official proceeding (being challenged at the Supreme Court as it is a financial document statute) and assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcement officers. “I just plead guilty to everything,” Brian said. “I didn’t want to make them mad. My lawyer told me to say I was sorry.” Brian said he has come to terms with his sentence and will try and better himself while imprisoned. 

Pray for Brian, write him, advocate for him.  He needs your support.