Terror in Las Vegas

                  

          Stephen Paddock opened fire on a country music festival this past Sunday killing 59 people and wounding over 500 spreading terror and fear throughout Las Vegas and the nation. Despite his clear intent to terrorize the people of Las Vegas, few are willing to come forward and label him a domestic terrorist, which is unfortunately a side effect of  it's federal definition. The exact definition used by the Federal government is found in the Patriot Act and is as follows:

 (a) Domestic Terrorism Defined.--Section 2331 of title 18, United 
States Code, is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)(B)(iii), by striking ``by assassination 
        or kidnapping'' and inserting ``by mass destruction, 
        assassination, or kidnapping'';
            (2) in paragraph (3), by striking ``and'';
            (3) in paragraph (4), by striking the period at the end and 
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(5) the term `domestic terrorism' means activities that--
                    ``(A) involve acts dangerous to human life that are 
                a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or 
                of any State;
                    ``(B) appear to be intended--
                          ``(i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian 
                      population;
                          ``(ii) to influence the policy of a government 
                      by intimidation or coercion; or
                          ``(iii) to affect the conduct of a government 
                      by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; 
                      and
                    ``(C) occur primarily within the territorial 
                jurisdiction of the United States.''. (SEC. 802)

            Currently, Stephen Paddock's actions fall under subsections A and C, but the investigation at this time has not yet yielded--or has not been released to the public--information that suggest he committed his crimes for the reasons defined under subsection B. Because of how domestic terrorism is defined, news outlets and law enforcement agencies are hesitant to label this event as a terrorist attack; however, this creates a dangerous narrative. by failing to lead with headlines that call Stephen a dangerous criminal, we get headlines that understate the gravity of the situation. One blatant example of a news outlet propagating a harmful and misleading narrative is found in The New York Times, as the article headline reads Stephen Paddock, Las Vegas Suspect, Was a Gambler Who Drew Little Attention. While the article goes on to paint Stephen as someone you would never expect to commit such atrocities--which definitely has merit as a cautionary tale--the article itself is geared more towards making sense of his background but, this does not excuse the fact that the headline still comes off as disingenuous and misleading. Hell, the headline doesn't even mention his crimes, just that he's a Las Vegas suspect. When someone sees this headline, Stephen's crimes are not overtly clear and neither are his actions. To the uninformed reader, to someone who only read the title, a very different opinion of this man might present itself, an image based in ignorance. My point isn't to rag on The New York Times, but simply to draw attention to the fact that these misleading narratives promote a dangerous atmosphere in which, ignorance and bigotry flourish.
          As a society we need to seriously reevaluate our stance towards terrorism and the methods we use to brand and prevent it. I believe that domestic terrorism should be defined by subsections A and C as a specific kind of domestic terrorism in which, terror is spread throughout the general public and does not necessitate a motive. Stephen Paddock was a domestic terrorist, and his crimes should not be understated.

                                                                        Sources:

          Bleakley, Caroline. “UPDATE: 59 Dead, 527 Injured in Las Vegas Shooting.” LASVEGASNOW, LASVEGASNOW, 2 Oct. 2017, www.lasvegasnow.com/news/update-59-dead-527-injured-in-las-vegas-shooting/823143766. 

          Bromwich, Jonah Engel. “Who Is Stephen Paddock, the Las Vegas Shooting Suspect?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 2 Oct. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/10/02/us/stephen-paddock-vegas-shooter.html.

     CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 147 (2001):
            Oct. 23, 24, considered and passed House.
            Oct. 25, considered and passed Senate.

     WEEKLY COMPILATION OF PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS, Vol. 37 (2001):
            Oct. 26, Presidential remarks.

                                      Links:

 http://www.lasvegasnow.com/news/update-59-dead-527-injured-in-las-vegas-shooting/823143766

 https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/02/us/stephen-paddock-vegas-shooter.html

 https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-107publ56/html/PLAW-107publ56.htm