A California man has been sentenced to a year in prison for threats made against the dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster. He made what is described as violent anti-LGBTQ-related threats against the publisher over its updated gender definitions. He threatened to shoot and bomb Merriam-Webster’s HQ.

Jeremy Hanson, 35, was sentenced in federal court in Massachusetts Thursday. Last year, he pleaded guilty to the interstate transmission of threatening communications in connection with threats made to Merriam-Webster and the University of North Texas president. In addition to a year in prison, he was sentenced to 30 days of home confinement, three years of probation, and mental health treatment. At first glance the sentence may seem excessive but not when you consider threats made of shooting and bombing, especially in today’s explosive atmosphere. Shooting and bombing sound like domestic terrorism. Hanson has a history of making such threats.

In court documents, prosecutors said the Rossmoor, California, man has a history of making “threatening communications, nearly all of which were motivated by … biases based upon race, gender, gender identity, and/or sexual orientation.”

Those other communications were directed at the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, Land O’ Lakes Inc., Hasbro, a nonbinary rabbi and others, prosecutors said.

The prosecutor in the case asked for an 18-month prison sentence. He wanted to send a message that violent rhetoric is unacceptable. Hanson’s attorney asked that he be sentenced to time served. She pointed to his history of emotional and behavioral issues, which include anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders. She said that more time in jail could negatively affect his mental health.

The judge ruled somewhere in the middle. The dictionary publisher was “fearful” of Hanson.

Judge Mark Mastroianni in U.S District Court in Springfield acknowledged Hanson’s medical history and said he had no intent or capacity to carry out his threats, but called his actions “disturbing and terrifying.”

He noted that Merriam-Webster management was “fearful that Hanson would come to their office and cause harm,” and said internal company communications referenced the 2015 attack on Charlie Hebdo offices in France, where terrorists killed 12 people who worked for the satirical weekly newspaper.

Hanson seemed to be particularly angry over the woke words Merriam-Webster used in word entries such as “girl”, “woman”, and “female.” He threatened the publisher by using the website’s “contact us” option between October 2 and October 8, 2021. He posted threatening messages and comments there. Merriam-Webster is establishing a pattern of caving to the Woke World agenda. That whole “gender identity” thing gets confusing, eh? Whatever happened to liberals screaming “follow the science” at every turn? That’s only when it is convenient for their agenda.

Hanson included the president of the University of North Texas because of his support of transgender students.

“It is absolutely sickening that Merriam-Webster now tells blatant lies and promotes anti-science propaganda,” Hanson wrote, according to prosecutors. “There is no such thing as ‘gender identity.’ The imbecile who wrote this entry should be hunted down and shot.”

Twice he threatened to shoot and bomb company headquarters, prompting Merriam-Webster to close offices in Springfield and New York City for several days, prosecutors said.

Hanson also wrote an email to the president of the University of North Texas in 2022 that said “You ought to be shot in the head and have your offices set on fire,” for supporting transgender students, prosecutors said.

Irrational, unhinged behavior can’t be accepted in a civilized society. Violence is not acceptable, certainly not over political opinions. Disagreements are normal but there is a line that has to be drawn. This man lost control.

Hanson appeared at the hearing remotely from a California jail. He declined to address the court. Let’s hope that, most importantly, he gets the mental health treatment that was included in the judge’s ruling.