Congressman Dan Goldman Works to Combat Extremist Paramilitary Groups in the United States
The ‘Preventing Private Paramilitary Activity Act’ Would Define and Distinguish Paramilitary Activity from Protected First and Second Amendment Activity
Read the Bill Here
Washington, DC – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) joined Congressman Jamie Raskin (MD-08) and Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) in introducing the ‘Preventing Private Paramilitary Activity Act’ to protect citizens the from intimidation and mass mobilizations of paramilitary groups. This legislation would federally prohibit those in private paramilitary organizations from conducting activity with firearms.
“Paramilitary groups like the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers use guns to terrorize communities and threaten our national security,” Congressman Dan Goldman said. “These groups were intimately involved in the planning and execution of the January 6th insurrection and pose an existential threat to our democracy and the rule of law from within our borders. Prohibiting these groups from carrying weapons of war while engaging in intimidation campaigns is necessary to keep Americans safe.”
The Preventing Paramilitary Activity Act legislation clearly defines and distinguishes paramilitary activity from other forms of collective political action protected by the First and Second Amendments. According to the language of this act, prohibited conduct includes: “publicly patrolling, drilling, or engaging in deadly paramilitary techniques, interfering with or interrupting government proceedings, interfering with the exercise of someone else’s constitutional rights, falsely assuming the functions of law enforcement and asserting authority over others, and training to engage in such behavior”. When paramilitary groups, such as the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, claim that their intimidation tactics are federally protected, a federal response is mandatory.
The Preventing Paramilitary Activity Act would:
- Create different tiers of criminal penalties based on whether violations result in injury or property damage
- Provide harsher penalties for repeat offenders
- Allow for a probationary sentence for first-time offenders
- Create civil remedies by authorizing the Department of Justice to seek injunctive relief against paramilitary activity
- Create a private right of action for individuals harmed by paramilitary activity to seek injunctive relief and/or damages.
Congressman Goldman is committed to protecting the integrity of American democracy from domestic terror threats.
In July 2023, Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10), Congressman Robert Garcia (CA-42), and Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) led 63 fellow members of Congress in sending a letter to Secretary Mayorkas of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in requesting an update on actions the Department has taken to address the threat of domestic violent extremism within the DHS.
This past January, Congressman Dan Goldman introduced a resolution to censure Congresswoman Elise Stefanik for her support of January 6th insurrectionists after calling the criminals who broke into the Capitol and destroyed national property, “hostages."
Congressman Goldman is a member of the House Task Force on Strengthening Democracy.
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