North Carolina Is Laying Down the Law on Rioting - Literally

Brittany M. Hughes | March 19, 2023
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Are you pissed because a professional town crier with a megaphone told you you're a victim? Want to burn down your town, loot a bunch of businesses, and overturn cop cars on the highway? Neat. Just don’t do it in North Carolina.

Actually, on second thought, please do - because it looks like the Tar Heel State is about to take these crimes just a bit more seriously.

A bill upping the punishment for rioting will become law Monday after North Carolina Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper declined to veto it this weekend, saying he will let the measure take effect without his signature after he blocked similar legislation two years ago. (Before you give him too much credit for having grown a rare spine, it's worth noting that the Republican-controlled state Senate now holds a veto-proof majority, and the Republican-controlled state House only needs one Democrat vote to have the same, making it unlikely that any veto would have much effect at all.)

The bill increases potential prison time for those found guilty of brandishing weapons or causing bodily harm while participating in or inciting a riot. And it carves out new categories for rioters whose actions cause the death of someone, or those who assault emergency responders.

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The new law also seeks to help business owners who experience property damage at the hands of rioters, allowing them to seek compensation from rioters up to three times the amount of the loss.

Social justice warriors who think the appropriate outlet for anger at the cops is to torch the local CVS and rob a Target have complained that this bill would step on the constitutional rights of “protesters,” despite the fact that the law specifically singles out violent and potentially fatal criminal behavior.

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