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Alexus Poston
Mrs. DeBock
English 4
14 April 2016
Guns and Extremism in the United States
A large portion of the news one hears on a frequent basis concerns Jihadist terrorism,
both at home and abroad. On September 11, 2001, the twin towers in New York City and several
other high-risk locations were targeted and attacked by a terrorist group who called themselves
Al Qaeda. Ever since that tragedy, the United States has constantly been on high alert for any
threats to our homeland made by those who do not fit the ideal American stereotype and, in the
process, government forces have been less alert for an equally terrifying and prevalent threat in
America: home-grown extremists. Those home-grown extremists who attempt to commit acts of
domestic terrorism are still dealt with, but in much different ways than jihadist terrorists,
especially if the color of their skin is white. Acts of targeted, group specific gun violence and
hate crimes are committed frequently and unfairly nearly everyday and yet they go almost
unchecked, without as much attention as they deserve because the U.S. government is over
focused on Jihadist terrorism and not domestic terrorism committed by home-grown extremists.
Studies have shown that since September 11, 2001, attacks from right-wing extremists
have led to almost twice as many casualties as those committed by self-proclaimed Jihadists.
According to statistics provided by the New America Foundation, twenty-six people have been
killed in jihadist terrorist attacks from 9/11 as of October 2015, while forty-eight have been
killed by right-wing radicals in that same span of time (Salhani). Domestic terrorism is a
persistent threat within the United States that far outweighs the current threat of Jihadist

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terrorism. The flimsy gun laws and flawed background check system present in the United States
do nothing to deter home-grown extremists violent plots, especially considering one can go to
any gun show and buy various types of highly-lethal guns from a private seller without a
required background check. In 1999, two brothers, after setting fire to multiple synagogues in the
Sacramento area, killed a homosexual couple in their home. Later that same year a man
conducted an armed assault on a jewish day care, wounding five people before killing a filipinoamerican mailman on the street (Stewart). While these types of heinous hate crimes may seem
like a thing of the past, acts of violence such as these are still carried out today, take the massacre
at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut or the shooting of nine African-Americans
within their church in South Carolina as examples. The statistics and the tragic loss of those lost
to terrorist attacks do not lie, and while the United States government should still devote time
and effort into protecting U.S. citizens from jihadist terrorism, they should put the same amount
of time and effort into defending those same people from domestic terrorism as well.
Many terrorists, domestic or jihadist, receive their start from acceptance. Once their
violent, extremist ideas are accepted or validated by one or more people or figures, they feel
more comfortable to act on these ideals (Robinson). There is no shortage of extremist ideas in the
United States, it is the land of the free where everyone is entitled to their own opinion:
unfortunately some of those ideals are not kind and they result in the loss of innocent life. Others
simply cause the continuous heated debates over what is constitutional and what is not, such as
the recent Oregon standoff in which militiamen led by Cliven Bundy took up arms against
federal authorities (Jonsson) . This event brought into question, once again, how far the right of
free speech goes and how the intersection of gun rights and free speech rights are altering the
nation. Antigovernment sentiment has only grown over the years which, in turn, has lead to an

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increase in home-grown extremism. In 1995 two antigovernment extremists detonated a large car
bomb in Oklahoma city that killed 168 people, days before the Unabomber took his third victim
(Stewart). These are not isolated incidents, many anti government individuals and groups still to
this day hoard mass amounts of weapons, stockpiled in self defense. These acts of terror
planned/committed by home grown extremist factions still happen today.
Extremism comes from both sides of the political spectrum. On the far right many
extremists are either sovereign citizens, white supremacists, militia men/women or other types of
anti government groups with single issue extremists that focus on combating abortion, gay
marriage, immigration, or taxes. On the far left the extremist pool mainly consists of black
nationalists, anarchists, and fringe elements of the Occupy Wall Street movement with single
issue extremists focusing on anti war, animal rights, and environmental issues (Johnson).
According to Johnson, While violent left-wing attacks were more prevalent in the 1970s, today
the bulk of violent domestic activity emanates from the right wing. Between the years 2010 and
2012, forty seven of the fifty four non-jihadist terrorists indicted were right wing extremists
while only seven were from the left wing. 20% of those right wing extremists were shown to
have spent time in the military (Bergen). Over the past few years trends have shown that while
violent islamic extremism is on the decline, right wing violence is rising. The growing threat of
right wing extremism is what the U.S. public and the U.S. government should be paying closer
attention to, especially if those who do not conform to right wing ideals, such as homosexuals,
independent women, or people of different races and religions, are to be protected.
Acts of targeted, group specific gun violence and hate crimes are committed frequently
and unfairly nearly everyday and yet they go almost unchecked, without as much attention as
they deserve because the U.S. government is over focused on Jihadist terrorism and not domestic

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terrorism committed by home-grown extremists. There is an overwhelming number of attacks,

statistics, and lives lost that argue this point. Right wing extremists are more of a threat to the
United States right now than any other type of terrorists, and yet all the focus is on jihadists.
America is the perfect setting to breed these types of extremist mindsets, with the almost
unlimited right of free speech, unparalleled in any other country. The sources of these right wing
extremists need to be addressed at the source, which is addressing the hate speech heard almost
everyday in person and across various social mediums. Politicians even play a part in the start of
extremists by offering them acceptance within their ideals and political parties. Right wing
extremism is a major, violent problem in the U.S. that both the government and its citizens
should concern themselves with more, for the well-being of the entire country. Hate should not
be encouraged.

Works Cited
Bergen, Peter, and Jennifer Rowland. "Growing Threat of Extreme Right-Wing Violence."
CNN.com. 2013. Rpt. in Domestic Terrorism. Ed. Margaret Haerens. Farmington
Hills,
Context.

MI: Greenhaven Press, 2015. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in

Web. 10 Mar. 2016.

Johnson, Daryl. "The Threat of Domestic Terrorism Is Often Overlooked." Domestic Terrorism.

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Ed. Margaret Haerens. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2015. Opposing
Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Hate Crimes & the Threat of Domestic Extremism." United
States Department of Justice (19 Sept. 2012). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 8
Mar. 2016.
Jonsson, Patrik. "Oregon Standoff Ends, But Its New Kind of 'Protest' Is Just Beginning."
Christian Science Monitor 11 Feb. 2016. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web.
14 Mar.

2016.

Robinson, Kenneth. "Confronting Prejudice and Hate Speech Is Key to Addressing the Domestic
Terrorism Threat." Domestic Terrorism. Ed. Margaret Haerens. Farmington Hills,
MI:

Greenhaven Press, 2015. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Hate: The Elephant in

the

Room." Huffington Post. 2013. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 16 Mar.

2016.
Salhani, Justin. "Right-Wing Terrorists Are Killing More Americans Than Jihadists Are,
And Now The DOJ Will Act." ThinkProgress RSS. 16 Oct. 2015. Web. 09 Mar.
2016.
Stewart, Scott. "Domestic Terrorism Is a Persistent Threat in the United States." Domestic
Terrorism. Ed. Margaret Haerens. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press,
2015.

Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Domestic Terrorism: A Persistent Threat in the

United

States." Stratfor Global Intelligence (23 Aug. 2012). Opposing Viewpoints in

Context.

Web. 10 Mar. 2016.

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