© 2025 Kansas City Public Radio
NPR in Kansas City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Domestic terrorism lacks federal punishment in U.S.

Police are parked outside the scene of a shooting at a supermarket, in Buffalo, N.Y., May 15.
Matt Rourke/AP
/
AP
Police are parked outside the scene of a shooting at a supermarket, in Buffalo, N.Y., May 15.

The U.S. has waged war on global terrorism but there's no federal designation for domestic terror. A new U.S. House bill aims to help federal law enforcement agencies crack down on domestic terrorist activity.

The FBI can label a group as a domestic terrorist organization, but the label has little legal meaning. That's because in the U.S. domestic terrorism isn't a felony.

Soon after an attack targeting Black individuals in Buffalo, New York, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act (H.R. 350), which would require the FBI to report on domestic terror threats and allocate resources accordingly. However, the bill would not criminalize domestic terror support or actions as the U.S. does for foreign terror organizations.

One of the reasons the U.S. struggles to act on domestic terror is concerns banning labeled domestic terrorist groups would infringe on the First Amendment, according to Rebecca Best, an associate professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City who has studied the difference in policing domestic and foreign terror groups.

Stay Connected
When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.
When you listen to Up To Date, I want you to understand decisions being made in the city, feel inspired by community members, and empathize with people who've had different experiences. As an Up To Date producer, I connect you to the news through conversations with community members and elected officials. Contact me at elizabeth@kcur.org or on Twitter at @er_bentley_ruiz.
No matter what happens in Washington D.C., Kansas City needs KCUR. And KCUR needs you.

Our ability to report local news — accurate, independent and paywall-free — depends on you. Donate now to support fact-based news.