College Honors Program

Date of Creation

5-5-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Department

Other

First Advisor

Stephen Kocs

Abstract

Domestic terrorist incidents are on the rise within the United States. Activities of domestic terrorism increased by 357% between 2013 and 2021. While the United States has experienced a dramatic growth in domestic terrorism from violent organizations, other countries have faced this similar problem with a different approach as they have created mechanisms to officially designate domestic terrorist organizations. In this thesis, I will answer the question: Could and should the United States create a federal proscription mechanism for domestic terrorist organizations? Chapter 2 explores whether the Proud Boys, a domestic organization within the United States, could be considered a domestic terrorist group. It will weigh the arguments for and against the designation of the Proud Boys as a domestic terrorist organization. If the organization could be considered a domestic terrorist institution, then that contributes to the argument that there should be a proscription mechanism for domestic terrorist organizations since there is a terrorist organization operating freely within the United States. Chapter 3 explores why the United States has not created a federal crime of domestic terrorism and consequently a formal process to designate domestic terrorist organizations. The chapter looks at the political and social considerations surrounding the creation of a federal crime of domestic terrorism and examines the arguments for and against creating such a crime to understand the feasibility of implementing one. Chapters 4 and 5 examine the effectiveness of a proscription mechanism for domestic terrorist organizations. Other countries, such as the United Kingdom and Canada, have approached domestic terrorism differently than the United States and have created formal mechanisms to designate domestic terrorist organizations. Chapter 4 specifically looks at Canada and its designation of its own chapter of the Proud Boys as a domestic terrorist organization. The chapter examines Canada’s definition of domestic terrorism, discusses how the country approaches freedom of expression, and then evaluates the proscription mechanism and its impact on the Canadian Proud Boys’ membership and potential to carry out future activities. Chapter 5 does the same but instead focuses on the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom has dealt with an organization similar to the Proud Boys, National Action, and has designated the group as a domestic terrorist organization. Chapter 6 offers a concluding analysis on the potential for the United States to establish a proscription mechanism for domestic terrorist groups–weighing both the necessity and implications of such a move. It explores the potential benefits and drawbacks of creating such a mechanism, using insights from the case studies of Canada and the United Kingdom. Additionally, it compares the findings from Chapter 3 regarding the practicality of creating a proscription mechanism in the United States with the lessons learned from the international examples.

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