"Today, our people are three times more likely to suffer a terrorist attack launched by an American than one launched by a foreigner. Now this is not just repulsive. This is not just immoral. This is not just anti-American. It is illegal. And we must confront it by enacting a new law to fit the crime," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.
New York's governor is calling for new legislation that would classify hate-motivated mass violence as domestic terrorism.
Gov. Cuomo announced the Hate Crimes Domestic Terrorism Act during a speech Thursday.
Under the proposed law, mass shootings motivated by race, gender, religion, sexual orientation or other protected classes would be punishable by up to life in prison without parole.
Cuomo has yet to release the actual proposal. But his office said mass casualties would be defined as any incident that results in the murder of at least one person and the attempted murder of at least two additional people.
The bill probably won't be voted on until the New York State Legislature returns for its next session early next year.
