Several times he used his influence and reputation in the Christian Patriot community in attempts to negotiate conclusions between legal authorities and far-right activists. In August 1992, he intervened on behalf of Randy Weaver who, with his family, was living at his rural home at Ruby Ridge, after U.S. Marshals attempted to arrest him for failure to appear in court. The 11-day standoff, which resulted in the deaths of a U.S. Marshal and Weaver's son and wife, ended after Gritz convinced Weaver to leave his cabin and place his faith and trust in the court system. In 1996, he unsuccessfully attempted to negotiate a conclusion to the stand-off by the Montana Freemen, a group of Christian Patriot activists who were wanted on an assortment of charges. After speaking with the Freemen, he left in frustration, stating that they presented him with what he called "legal mumbo-jumbo" to support their claims, and cautioned others in the Patriot movement not to support them. The stand-off ended when the Freemen surrendered after 81 days.