The Rod of Iron Ministries was formed as the result of a dispute between Sean Moon and his mother following the death of Sun Myung Moon. This led Sean and his wife to separate from the Unification Church and establish an offshoot sect named
World Peace and Unification Sanctuary Church in early 2013. Sean is supported by his elder brother Kook-Jin "Justin" Moon, who effectively serves as assistant pastor of the church. He also owns
Kahr Arms, a
small arms manufacturer. By 2018, Sean began wearing a
coronet of
bullets on his head and expressing a more
militant and pro-
gun rights ideology. Sanctuary Church assumed the name Rod of Iron Ministries and performed religious rituals that heavily involved the AR-15 semiautomatic rifle. In October 2019, members of the group were invited to "show their willingness to defend their families, communities and nation" by bringing their rifles to a service in which their weapons were blessed. Sean Moon and other members of the group participated in the
January 6, 2021 United States Capitol attack. Former
Donald Trump national security advisor
Michael Flynn addressed an October 2024 Rod of Iron Freedom Festival, saying that if Trump won the 2024 presidential election, "Katie, bar the door. Believe me, the gates of hell — my hell — will be unleashed." Flynn's close associate
Ivan Raiklin urged attendees to "confront" their state representatives with "evidence of the illegitimate steal" should Trump lose. Raiklin had previously characterized himself as Trump's "Secretary of Retribution" and said he had prepared a "Deep State Target List" of over 350 people he would go after in a second Trump administration. == Properties ==