WASHINGTON, D.C. — The mass shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo over the weekend has led to renewed calls for stronger domestic terrorism laws.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the House will soon move to vote on legislation to strengthen efforts to combat domestic terrorism.
READ: Buffalo supermarket shooting: What we know about the 10 victims
President Joe Biden and law enforcement officials have called the mass shooting at the Tops Supermarket in Buffalo an act of domestic terrorism.
House Dems are deeply saddened by the shooting motivated by #AntiBlackRacism that claimed the lives of 10 people on Saturday.
— House Democrats (@HouseDemocrats) May 16, 2022
Although the gunman acted alone, he was enabled by a dangerous combination of hate and easy access to firearms.
We WILL NOT let hate win.
Right now, there’s no specific charge for domestic terrorism, but democrats in congress are pushing for legislation to change that.
However, the proposed bill is facing opposition from Republicans who argue it could end up infringing on free speech rights.
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Meanwhile, some within the GOP are under fire from in their own party over allegations of making comments that allegedly align with the far-right theory known as the great replacement theory.
It’s an anti-immigrant position that suggests whites in the United States are being replaced by non-white people.
Republican Congresswoman from Wyoming Liz Cheney tweeted, “The House GOP leadership has enabled white nationalism, white supremacy, and anti-Semitism.”
Statement on the FBI Response to the Shooting in Buffalo, New York https://t.co/2mQRDJrzwI
— FBI (@FBI) May 16, 2022
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Cheney went on to call on the party to renounce and reject those views.
The American Civil Liberties Union has also expressed opposition to making domestic terrorism an official charge because they argue it could harm communities of color by expanding law enforcement authorities.
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