Domestic Terrorism in the United States

Domestic Terrorism in the United States

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Introduction

Domestic terrorism revolves around violence meted against the nation’s infrastructure and civilian population usually but not always by the nation’s citizens, often with the aim of coercing, intimidating or even determining the course of national policy. The United States has experienced varied episodes of domestic terrorism. On 5th August 2012, Wage Page attacked and opened fire on a congregation in Sikh temple at Oak Creek, Wis., an incident that resulted in the deaths of six people, with three others sustaining serious injuries. While Page killed himself and left no evidence that explicitly stated his motives, he had a long association with a white supremacist movement, which clarified on his choice of target (Johnson, 2012). Another incident occurred on 15th of the same month, when Floyd Corkins attacked Family Research Council’s office, where he shot a security guard who had tried to stop him from getting into the office. It is reported that Corkins had a bag in which there were Chick-Fil-A’s sandwiches and a box of ammunition. His target of the council was based on its support for the sandwich company at a time when the fast food chain’s founder had made controversial statements pertaining to gay marriage (Johnson, 2012). Corkins outlined his displeasure at the chain’s politics before he opened fire.

In recognition of the immense threat posed by domestic terrorism, homeland security has had to reengineer itself so as to increase the involvement of the tribal, local, and state law enforcement officers, not to mention businesses, communities and citizens in the front line of prevention, as well as detection of the of any threats that are posed by domestic terrorism (Johnson, 2012). It has thus acknowledged that sustenance of security is a shared responsibility where everyone has a role to play through staying informed and pricy to the threats facing the neighborhood and the nation at large.

References

Johnson, D. (2012). Right wing resurgence: How a domestic terrorist threat is being ignored. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.