BOSTON — Mass shooters could be treated as domestic terrorists under a proposal from U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, which would give law enforcement the ability to target “online enablers” and others who encourage gun violence.
Moulton, D-Salem, said mass shootings are not legally classified as acts of terrorism, which handicaps law enforcement in the crucial hours following an attack. He said that also gives those who provided material support to a mass shooter to cover their tracks, or help plan another shooting.
“Gunmen who shoot up schools, churches, and concerts are nothing short of terrorists. The media, the public, even the president call them that,” he said in a statement. “But from a legal standpoint, we don’t currently prosecute mass shootings as the terrorist attacks that they are.”
The proposal, co-sponsored with U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, is similar to proposals Moulton filed in previous congressional sessions.
The bill stipulates to meet the threshold of an act of terrorism a mass shooting must have resulted in at least three fatalities, if the shooter uses a qualified semi-automatic or fully automatic rifle, and if the shooting occurs in a heavily populated public space, such as a school, church or community center.
Moulton said the guardrails in the bill will “ensure that the statute will not be misused to target traditionally overpoliced communities or apply unfairly to those who commit interpersonal crimes that, while horrific, don’t have terrorist intent or impact.”
It would also require the Department of Justice to produce reports on arrest data and related statutes made under the law.
The data would allow Congress to exercise oversight responsibilities and ensure the law is being implemented in the intended manner, the lawmakers said.
Domestic terrorism is not a specific crime with which a person can be charged, but it is defined in U.S. law as acts that are designed to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion or influence the conduct of a government by mass shooting, assassination, or kidnapping.
President Donald Trump used the term to describe vandalism against Tesla dealerships when CEO Elon Musk faced boycotts and threats over his work heading the administration’s department of government efficiency.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Tesla attacks were “nothing short of domestic terrorism” and promised to “impose severe consequences on those involved” … “including those operating behind the scenes to coordinate and fund these crimes.”
Still, the Trump administration recently pulled the plug on $3 million in funding for the Global Terrorism Database’s Terrorism and Targeted Violence, operated by the University of Maryland, which included data on a range of attacks, including workplace violence, school shootings, hate crimes and attacks on power grids and other infrastructure.
The most recent data showed that during the first two months of 2025, there was a 25% increase in terrorism and targeted violence events compared to the same period in 2024, according to the group’s website.
Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.