Menacing
Menacing or brandishing is a criminal offense in many U.S. states generally defined as displaying a weapon with the intent of placing another person in fear of imminent physical injury or death. 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. Self-defense is often explicitly given as an exception. 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 by state. Idaho. In Idaho the law on menacing reads as follows: New York. In New York State a person threatening another person with imminent injury without engaging in physical contact is called "menacing". A person who engages in that behavior is guilty of aggravated harassment in the second degree (a Class A misdemeanor; punishable with up to one year incarceration, probation for an extended time, and a permanent criminal record) when they threaten to cause  physical harm to another person, and guilty of aggravated harassment in the first degree (a Class E felony) if they have a previous conviction for the same offense. Ohio. In Ohio, the laws on Menacing read as follows: Oregon. In Oregon, the law on Menacing states: