Mengapa AS Tak Sebut Penembak di Las Vegas Sebagai Teroris?

1. "Act of terrorism” means any act that involves the use or attempted use of sabotage, coercion or violence which is intended to: 
   (a) Cause great bodily harm or death to the general population; or 
   (b) Cause substantial destruction, contamination or impairment of: (1) Any building or infrastructure, communications, transportation, utilities or services; or (2) Any natural resource or the environment.
2. As used in this section, “coercion” does not include an act of civil disobedience.

(Added to NRS by 2003, 2947)

Adapun, definisi teroris dapat ditemukan di NRS 202.4439. Kutipan lengkapnya:

NRS 202.4439  “Terrorist” defined.  “Terrorist” defined.  “Terrorist” means a person who intentionally commits, causes, aids, furthers or conceals an act of terrorism or attempts to commit, cause, aid, further or conceal an act of terrorism.

(Added to NRS by 2003, 2948)

Namun, anggapan pemenuhan klausul UU Nevada tersebut sepertinya masih dianggap belum mencukupi berdasarkan hukum Federal atau negara Amerika Serikat. Definisi soal terorisme dapat ditemukan di US Code 2331. US Code adalah kodifikasi dari semua UU Federal Amerika Serikat.

Isi lengkap US Code 2331 adalah sebagai berikut:

As used in this chapter—
(1) the term “international terrorism” means activities that—
(A) involve violent acts or acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State, or that would be a criminal violation if committed within the jurisdiction of the United States or of any State;
(B) appear to be intended—
(i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population;
(ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or
(iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and
(C) occur primarily outside the territorial jurisdiction of the United States, or transcend national boundaries in terms of the means by which they are accomplished, the persons they appear intended to intimidate or coerce, or the locale in which their perpetrators operate or seek asylum;

(2) the term “national of the United States” has the meaning given such term in section 101(a)(22) of the Immigration and Nationality Act;

(3) the term “person” means any individual or entity capable of holding a legal or beneficial interest in property;

(4) the term “act of war” means any act occurring in the course of—
(A) declared war;
(B) armed conflict, whether or not war has been declared, between two or more nations; or
(C) armed conflict between military forces of any origin; and

(5) the term “domestic terrorism” means activities that—
(A) involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State;
(B) appear to be intended—
(i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population;
(ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or
(iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and
(C) occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States.

(Added Pub. L. 102–572, title X, §?1003(a)(3), Oct. 29, 1992, 106 Stat. 4521; amended Pub. L. 107–56, title VIII, §?802(a), Oct. 26, 2001, 115 Stat. 376.)

Dari pendefinisian di US Code 2331 inilah, motif terlihat menjadi lebih penting lagi untuk menentukan seseorang melakukan aksi terorisme sekaligus bisa disebut teroris atau tidak. Poin yang terlihat paling butuh kepastian motif untuk memenuhi definisi terorisme di sini adalah tujuannya untuk mempengaruhi kebijakan pemerintah.

Tak kunjung ditemukannya motif Paddock dan keterkaitannya dengan kelompok atau kepentingan politik tertentu, bisa jadi merupakan alasan Paddock sampai saat ini tak disebut sebagai teroris demikian juga aksinya tak dilabeli terorisme oleh pemerintah dan otoritas Amerika Serikat.

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