Legislation recently introduced in the House would change the penal code structure to prosecute domestic terrorism crimes the same way as international terrorism crimes.
The change would allow federal law enforcement officers and prosecutors to charge those committing acts of domestic terrorism better and would ensure domestic terrorism crimes are prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
The bill was introduced by Reps. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Randy Weber (R-TX).
“The attacks earlier this month in Dayton and El Paso are a stark and hideous reminder that the threat of domestic terrorism is very real,” McCaul said. “As a former prosecutor, I know our federal domestic terrorism laws are insufficient and lack any real legal recourse to charge domestic terrorists with the crime they’ve committed…. My constituents and I experienced terror in our own community last year when a string of deadly bombings wreaked havoc in Austin, TX. We need to do more than denounce the hateful ideologies that spur this type of violence – we have to take action to better prevent the spread of homegrown radicalization.”
The bill is supported by the FBI Agents Association, which has been advocating for the criminalization of domestic terrorism at the federal level.