Ohio Senate Passes Animal Rights Terrorism Bill
In March, the Ohio State Senate passed a bill designed to crack down on animal rights and environmental terrorism.
As part of a much larger bill on terrorism, Ohio Senator Jeff Jacobson added language that increases penalties for acts of animal rights and environmental extremism committed in Ohio.
According to the bill,
“Animal or ecological terrorism” means the commission of any felony that involves causing or creating a substantial risk of physical harm to any property of another, the use of a deadly weapon or dangerous ordnance, or purposely, knowingly, or recklessly causing serious physical harm to property and that involves an intent to obstruct, impede, or deter any person from participating in a lawful animal activity, from mining, foresting, harvesting, gathering, or processing natural resources, or from being lawfully present in or on an animal facility or research facility.
If the bill passes, such acts could be prosecutable under the Ohio’s racketeering statutes which allow for asset forfeiture after conviction.
Jacobs also appears to hold out hope that designating such acts as animal or ecological terrorism might lead to more federal prosecutions of such crimes under the provisions of the Patriot Act.
The full text of Ohio’s Senate Bill 9 can be read here.
Sources:
Ohio Looks to Crack Down on Ecoterrorists Associated Press, May 9, 2005.
Tags: Ohio, Terrorism, United States