Actually, in law in the U.S., believable threats ARE assault. With actual physical attack, they become aggravated assault. Simple assault is a misdemeanor, most places--but is none-the-less punishable by law; aggravated assault is usually a felony but is usually plea bargained down to simple assault. Even simple assault can result in parole or probation violation and imprisonment.

I agree with Rick that violent offenders ought to do time; the only problem is that jails and prisons are full of non-violent offenders: zero tolerance laws make smoking a joint worse than murder in some states. And then there are the forfeiture laws: someone gets busted for toking up at your house, you can lose your house.

--seed