History of Terrorism Laws
Lone Wolf Terrorism in Legislation : A Legal Overview
Current events frequently impact the development of legislation in the United States . One obvious notable example includes the civil rights movement during the 1960s precipitating new legislation guaranteeing equal protection of rights regardless of race . As such , it should not come as any surprise that the development of U . S . laws concerning intelligence collection and counter-terrorism followed the domestic intelligence activities of the 1970s and terrorist attacks of the late 1990s / early 2000s , respectively . This section illustrates how U . S . laws dealing with terrorism evolved out of the original laws which focused on counterintelligence . These new laws provided the USIC additional tools to investigate and stop terrorist activity . Unfortunately , during this shift in emphasis , the problem of dealing with a lone wolf terrorist was neglected . As such , what follows sheds light on existing law and policy to help evaluate whether they meet the needs of the USIC , law enforcement , and policymakers .
Federal Intelligence and Terrorism Laws — Pre-9 / 11
Terrorism laws before 9 / 11 were sparse and inconsistent at both the federal
and state level . In 1935 , the first mention of “ terrorism ” in the federal record occurred in a report entitled “ To Punish for Exerting Mutinous Influence upon the Army and Navy ”:
However , revolutions by violence and force , proceeding from impatience with the existing system of government , and originating with a small minority , and carried through by terrorism , wholesale murder , and universal confiscation , are essentially repugnant …(“ To Punish for Exerting Mutinous Influence Upon Army and Navy ” 1935 )
Although the meaning of terrorism in the above quote could be up for some interpretation , it represents a close enough connotation to the discussion as to be worth including as a demonstration of what is most likely the first reference to “ terrorism ” in U . S . law .
The first federal U . S . law specifically addressing “ terrorism ” in any form was the Foreign Assistance Act of 1969 ( Foreign Assistance Act of 1969 1969 ). This law did not address terrorist ’ s actions specifically but denied U . S . aid to the United Nations if organizations supporting terrorism received funding . Around the same time , another law , the International Security Assistance and Arms Export Control Act of 1976 regulating trade , prohibited interaction with countries which sponsored or condoned terrorism :
SEC . 620A . PROHIBITION AGAINST FURNISHING ASSIS- TANCE TO COUNTRIES WHICH GRANT SANCTUARY TO IN- TERNATIONAL TERRORISTS .—( a ) Except where the President
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