On what basis does the LAW define terrorism as such? Just curious.
Under Title 18 US Code 2331, the definition of Terrorism is defined as
(1) the term “international terrorism” means activities that—
(A)
involve violent acts or acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State, or that would be a criminal violation if committed within the jurisdiction of the United States or of any State;
(B) appear to be intended—
(i)
to intimidate or coerce a civilian population;
(ii)
to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or
(iii)
to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and
(C)
occur primarily outside the territorial jurisdiction of the United States, or transcend national boundaries in terms of the means by which they are accomplished, the persons they appear intended to intimidate or coerce, or the locale in which their perpetrators operate or seek asylum;
(2)
the term “national of the United States” has the meaning given such term in section 101(a)(22) of the Immigration and Nationality Act;
(3)
the term “person” means any individual or entity capable of holding a legal or beneficial interest in property;
(4) the term “act of war” means any act occurring in the course of—
(A)
declared war;
(B)
armed conflict, whether or not war has been declared, between two or more nations; or
(C)
armed conflict between military forces of any origin; and
(5) the term “domestic terrorism” means activities that—
(A)
involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State;
(B) appear to be intended—
(i)
to intimidate or coerce a civilian population;
(ii)
to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or
(iii)
to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and
(C)
occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States.
To be precise, unless you can prove, beyond reasonable doubt that Paddock action is to coerce a civilian population, or the government, or to affect the conduct of a government by killing all those people, the case does not suit the term terrorism.
In layman term, unless he want to achieve something by killing 58 people and that something have to do with either a group of people or the government or try to impede how the government to function, you cannot call it a terrorism.
So, what will be able to have Paddock called a terrorist? If he attack all these people because he have an agenda to the concert organiser, then it would be an intimidate or coerce a civilian population (like if he try to extort money form the organiser or so on)
Or if he try to kill all these people to influence how State of Nevada decision to hold these concert outdoor, then it would be domestic terrorism
Or if he engineering this attack to attack the US government in any sort or way, (like trying to kill off federal agent or attack on federal land) then this incident would be a terrorist attack.
But if his motive behind this attack is to just to suicide by cop or sick of living or anything not said before that involve the population and government, then this would not be a terrorist incident and it's merely a mass shooting.