Republicans think they have a way to slow down “swatting” incidents throughout the state.

Sen. Joe Griffo, R-Rome, has sponsored legislation in the 2017-18, 2019-20, 2021-22 and 2022-23 legislative sessions that would create two crimes for those who threaten acts of mass violence. Now, Griffo and Assemblywoman Marianne Buttenschon, D-Marcy, are asking Assembly and Senate leadership to take action on this year’s versions of the legislation, A.6383 and S.1603, after Utica Police were dispatched to Proctor High School to investigate a report of gunfire, according to the police department. The department reported that the threat was not credible and that normal educational activities had resumed at the school. Rome Police were called to Rome Free Academy for a similar call. Officers there determined that there was no active shooter.

That same day there were several calls threatening violence, including several schools in Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties. According to Chautauqua County Sheriff James Quattrone, the calls appeared to come from the same person who gave the same last name but different first names. The Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office also said it believed the same person was responsible for several calls to Cattaraugus County schools.

“These deplorable threats cause widespread fear and disruption, especially at a time when many parents, schools and communities are already on edge following the recent school shooting in Tennessee,” Sen. Griffo said. “The perpetrators of these heinous threats must be held accountable for their actions. They need to know that there are real consequences and serious repercussions for deciding to threaten mass violence at schools and other locations. My legislation will ensure that the individuals making these threats are punished accordingly.”

Griffo and Buttenschon’s bill, which they have introduced for several years, would amend the penal law and establish a new crime of making a threat of mass violence toward a school, college or university, place of worship, mass gathering of 25 people or more or a business if the threat is made in writing, verbally communicated or expressed through any other means of communication.

The legislation would create the crime of first-degree making a threat of mass violence, a class D felony applying to anyone 18 years of age or older. The punishment would be a $35,000 fine and a sentence of no less than three years in prison. It would also create the crime of second-degree making a threat of mass violence that applies to individuals under the age of 18 and carries a fine of $35,000 and a mandatory sentence of 10 days in a juvenile detention facility. Individuals over 18 who make a threat of mass violence against the school that they are attending would be charged with the same crime and administered the same punishment as an individual under the age of 18.

“Our nation and state have seen an increase in mass violence and this legislation was created to combat this crisis,” Buttenschon said. “I will continue to work with my colleague to stop this violence in our communities.”

Another bill (S.4263) supported by Republican state Sens. Dean Murray, Jim Tedisco and Mark Walczyk would elevate swatting from a class A misdemeanor to a class E felony. Individuals convicted of swatting now face up to one year in jail. However, if the lawmakers’ proposal becomes law, the sentence would be 1.5 to four years in state prison. Walczyk, a former member of the state Assembly, introduced the bill in February. Versions have been introduced in 2019-20 and 2021-22.

Creating a new crime may not do much to help. Hundreds of cases of swatting occur annually, with some using caller ID spoofing to disguise their number. The goal is to get authorities, particularly a SWAT team, to respond to an address. According to an Associated Press report, an FBI official said in November that they believe the wave of false threats focused on schools may be coming from outside of the country.