Have you heard? San Francisco board of supervisors just passed a resolution declaring the NRA a domestic terrorist group.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/09/04/san-francisco-supervisors-nra-domestic-terrorist-organization/2210973001/

I don't like guns...I had a very scary experience with one...but I didn't know that city governments were allowed to make decisions like that. Are they?

I DO like the law...and I would like to see that people don't let their tiny powers go to their heads.

Who can legally determine that a group is a domestic terrorist organization? Anyone know? I thought it was the federal government in conjunction with the FBI, (many of whom will be surprised to discover they are now "domestic terrorists").

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HannahSky · F

They said ;“The NRA exists to spread disinformation and knowingly puts weapons in the hands of those who would harm and terrorize us by blocking common-sense gun violence prevention legislation, and by advocating for dangerous legislation like stand-your-ground laws, permit-less carry, and guns in schools from kindergarten on up through university”. Regardless, if they are or not, seems out of control that the NRA has so much power over politics and the public, in my opinion.

4meAndyou · F

@HannahSky My issue is that no one seems to know if a city board of supervisors has the legal power to make such a declaration.

4meAndyou · F

@HannahSky I have been researching for several minutes here, and I did find this:

"How is domestic terrorism defined?
The FBI defines domestic terrorism as acts "perpetrated by individuals and/or groups inspired by or associated with primarily U.S.-based movements that espouse extremist ideologies of a political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature."

The USA Patriot Act from 2001 defines domestic terrorism as a dangerous act occurring within U.S. territory that violates criminal laws in ways that are "intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination or kidnapping." That definition is also in the U.S. Government Code, the 53 title compilation of federal legal statutes."

"Designating domestic groups as domestic terrorism organizations and picking out particular groups that you say you disagree with their views and so forth is going to be highly problematic," said Wiegmann in his May testimony. The FBI "opens cases on suspected criminal violations, not ideologies. The FBI may not investigate solely on the basis of First Amendment-protected activity."

This leaves law enforcement officials to search for ways of prosecuting violent extremism through other means. For instance, in 2018 four white supremacist members of the Rise Above Movement group were charged with conspiring to riot and some of those men have pleaded guilty."

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-is-domestic-terrorism-understanding-law-and-fbi-definitions-terrorist-activity-in-the-united-states/

HannahSky · F

@4meAndyou thx good info.

HannahSky · F

@4meAndyou Right, I'm not sure either. I think they'll find out soon enough.

4meAndyou · F

@HannahSky Yeah, Mistycee has the best answer though. The board of supervisors in SF don't have the legal right to do anything, and they are just grandstanding and making noise.