Federal · Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal Procedure

18 U.S.C. § 2332a: Use of weapons of mass destruction

Felony

What this law says, in plain English

A U.S. national who uses, threatens, attempts, or conspires to use a weapon of mass destruction outside the United States without lawful authority commits a federal offense punishable by imprisonment or death if death results.

Read the full statutory text
against a national of the United States while such national is outside of the United States; the mail or any facility of interstate or foreign commerce is used in furtherance of the offense; such property is used in interstate or foreign commerce or in an activity that affects interstate or foreign commerce; any perpetrator travels in or causes another to travel in interstate or foreign commerce in furtherance of the offense; or the offense, or the results of the offense, affect interstate or foreign commerce, or, in the case of a threat, attempt, or conspiracy, would have affected interstate or foreign commerce; against any property that is owned, leased or used by the United States or by any department or agency of the United States, whether the property is within or outside of the United States; or against any property within the United States that is owned, leased, or used by a foreign government, Any national of the United States who, without lawful authority, uses, or threatens, attempts, or conspires to use, a weapon of mass destruction outside of the United States shall be imprisoned for any term of years or for life, and if death results, shall be punished by death, or by imprisonment for any term of years or for life. the term “national of the United States” has the meaning given in section 101(a)(22) of the Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(22) ); any destructive device as defined in section 921 of this title ; any weapon that is designed or intended to cause death or serious bodily injury through the release, dissemination, or impact of toxic or poisonous chemicals, or their precursors; any weapon involving a biological agent, toxin, or vector (as those terms are defined in section 178 of this title ); or any weapon that is designed to release radiation or radioactivity at a level dangerous to human life; and the term “property” includes all real and personal property.

Verify at the official source: Federal legislative text

Facing this? Know exactly what happens next.

MOFRD turns this code section into your situation: the deadlines that apply to you, the forms your county uses, and the resolution paths people in your position actually take. Free for 3 days — no card required.

This page is legal information, not legal advice. Code text is sourced from official publications and may lag amendments — always confirm at the official source linked above. Plain-English summaries and relationship data are AI-derived and reviewed on an ongoing basis; verify with a licensed attorney before acting.