# Understanding the End Domestic Terrorism Act

This bill creates a new federal crime specifically targeting mass shootings carried out with certain types of guns. If someone kills three or more people in a single incident using a machinegun or what the bill calls a "covered semiautomatic weapon," they can face federal charges and potentially life in prison. The key detail is that this federal charge only applies if the shooting happens at specific locations—like schools, places of worship, government buildings, shopping centers, restaurants, movie theaters, concert venues, or office buildings—and if the crime involves interstate commerce in some way (such as the weapon being transported across state lines or the shooter traveling across state lines).

The bill defines "covered semiautomatic weapons" pretty broadly. It includes AR and AK-type rifles, semiautomatic rifles with detachable magazines that have certain features like pistol grips or folding stocks, semiautomatic shotguns with similar features, devices that speed up how fast a semiautomatic gun fires, and anything the Attorney General determines is substantially similar to these weapons. Essentially, it targets the types of weapons commonly used in mass shooting incidents.

Beyond creating this new crime, the bill requires the Department of Justice to track and publicly report information about cases where these charges are filed. Within six months of filing charges, the government must publish details about each incident, including how many people were killed and injured, demographic information about the suspect, the weapon used, and the total costs to government and businesses from the attack. The government must also submit annual reports to Congress with similar information, plus details about anyone charged with providing material support to someone committing these mass killings.

The practical effect is that mass shootings at public places would now be treated as federal terrorism offenses with mandatory reporting and public transparency, potentially making these crimes carry harsher penalties than they might under state law alone. This gives federal law enforcement another tool to prosecute mass shootings and creates a systematic way to track and study these incidents nationally.