Menacing is the name of a criminal offense in many US states. The wording and degrees of the offense vary from state to state. It often consists of displaying a weapon to a person with the intention of threatening them with bodily harm from the said weapon, or of criminally threatening another, or otherwise putting them in fear of physical harm. Depending on state, degrees of offense range from a misdemeanor for first time offenders, to low to mid level felonies for offenders with a prior menacing charge. The tangentially related crime of "Menacing By Stalking" was introduced as a new charge in some states following the popularization of laws specifically targeting stalking behavior, in which a perpetrator adopts a long-term pattern of actions designed to frighten and harass a victim while still adhering to the letter of existing harassment laws.

Laws

The definition of the criminal offense of Menacing varies by state.

In Oregon for instance, the law on Menacing states:

In Ohio, the laws on Menacing read as follows: