Joining is difficult; new members are on probation for a year, must swear a blood oath for life, and commit a violent act to join such as killing a rival inmate or assaulting an officer. The Aryan Brotherhood will also at times follow the rule, requiring the murder of a black or Hispanic prisoner for entry into the Brotherhood.[27] Members are inculcated with various reading materials smuggled into prisons published by Aryan Nations, Militia of Montana, and other groups,[28] as well as Mein Kampf, The Art of War, and Machiavelli's The Prince.[3] Early members were known to read Western novels by Louis L'Amour, where the self-proclaimed "the Brand" moniker derives from. Therefore, perpetuating an admiration for the outlaw gunslingers of the American West.