California

Calif. Man Arrested and Charged After Making Threats Against Merriam-Webster, Inc. for Use of Gender-Inclusive Definitions

"It would be poetic justice to have someone storm your offices and shoot up the place, leaving none of you commies alive,” Jeremy David Hanson allegedly wrote

Published April 24, 2022 • Updated on April 24, 2022 at 6:15 pm

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary — Joanne K. Watson/Merriam-Webster via Getty Images

A California man was arrested and charged after making threats against Merriam-Webster, Inc. for the company's inclusive language around gender, according to the U.S. Attorney's office for the District of Massachusetts.

Jeremy David Hanson, 34, of Rossmoor, California, was arrested and charged with one count of interstate communication of threats to commit violence, according to a press release. He has since been released ahead of an upcoming court date on April 29.

Hanson is accused of leaving threatening comments on Merriam-Webster's website as well as sending threatening messages via the company's "contact us" feature.

The comments left by Hanson were made in October 2021.