1、CRS Legal Sidebar Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Legal SidebarLegal Sidebari i Domestic Terrorism: Some Considerations August 12, 2019 Introduction Mass shootings and other recent events have led to suggestions for (1) making domestic terrorism a separate federal crime; (2) affordin
2、g law enforcement agencies authority comparable to that which they enjoy in cases of international terrorism; and (3) adjusting existing federal law enforcement priorities to place greater emphasis on domestic terrorism. Domestic terrorism as a separate federal crime Existing federal law defines dom
3、estic terrorism but does not outlaw it by name. Section 2331(5) of the federal criminal code defines domestic terrorism as a life-endangering federal or state crime, committed within the United States, with the apparent intent to coerce or intimidate a civilian population or influence government pol
4、icy or conduct. Domestic terrorism, by name, is not a federal crime, but the conduct that Section 2331(5) describes is already a state or federal crime under some other name. With or without a terrorist motive, life-endangering misconduct homicide or assault is a crime under the laws of each of the
