TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Mar 21, 2022

Tennessee lawmakers are considering legislation that would consider some types of violent crime — such as shooting into crowds of people — as community terrorism. A bill by Rep. G.A. Hardaway, D-Memphis, passed out of the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee last week and is set to be considered by the full committee on Wednesday, Action 5 News reports. “Terrorism, as defined on the national and international stages, is about using intimidation to instill fear in a population,” Hardaway says. He argues that indiscriminate shooting “is nothing more than an effort by criminal gangs who are terrorizing the community.” State Sen. Sara Kyle, D-Memphis, is sponsoring the Senate version of the bill.