Sen. Sandlin has introduced SB 78 which identifies three specific crimes as “public order” offenses and then permits a sentencing enhancement if these crimes are committed while wearing a mask or face covering. I can definitely see where there is a policy argument to be made that attempting to conceal one’s identity while wearing a crime should be punished more harshly than committing the crime openly; but it seems arbitrary to single out the crimes of criminal mischief, rioting, or disorderly conduct or the means of concealment being hiding one’s face. Why not add a sentencing enhancement to campaign finance crimes or dodging taxes while hiding behind shell corporations?
My guess is that Sandlin is reacting to the Antifa panic.
I suspect that these kinds of laws come back to bite people. The people you think are wearing masks can actually belong to the other side. The “Anitfa” folks are not the ones to pace the floor over. There is sufficient data to show that the far right and white nationalism has victimized and done more damage than the Antifa people can ever aspire to. I can remember webcam videos that show people in masks vandalizing synagogues and causing all manner of problems. I love the idea of punishing folks who intentionally hide behind phony and shell corporations. They do infinitely more damage than the random vandals.
I’d thought laws discouraging masked crime in one way or another were fairly common, originally intended to literally unmask the KKK. (Or did I just imagine/garble that? That’s always a possibility, too.)