[Libs-Or] ALA Draft Resolution - Resolution on Gun Violence Affecting Libraries, Library Workers, and Library Patrons

[Diedre Conkling]

There is a resolution on gun violence being discussed by ALA Council.  The
discussion is open to everyone on ALA Connect at
http://connect.ala.org/node/257600.  This is a draft resolution put
together by a working group formed at the ALA 2016 Conference.

You will need to sign in to ALA Connect to comment so you may need to make
an account.


I am posting here the original resolution that led to this discussion and
revision work so that you will know the staring place:

http://ow.ly/V8Hq304qZkp

2015-2016 ALA CD#45_62516_ACT
2015-2016 ALA MMD#4_62516_ACT
2016 ALA Annual Conference

*RESOLUTION ON GUN VIOLENCE AFFECTING LIBRARIES, LIBRARY WORKERS, AND
LIBRARY PATRONS*

Whereas on June 12, 2016, 49 people were murdered by gunfire in Orlando,
FL, the host city of the 2016 Annual ALA conference;

Whereas the safety and security of all communities served by libraries
across the United States are constantly threatened by unexpected and
potentially lethal gun violence;

Whereas the safety and security of workers in, and patrons served by,
libraries of all kinds in all areas of the country are vulnerable to
unexpected and potentially lethal gun violence;

Whereas the incidence and scale of gun murders and other gun violence in
the United States are far greater than those in any other advanced country;

Whereas that incidence and scale are directly affected by the ready
availability of guns (handguns, assault rifles, etc.) in the United States
due to lax gun laws, the absence of sensible gun control laws, and the
efforts of the gun lobby and the manufacturers of guns to resist these
controls;

Whereas ALA passed a Resolution on Gun Violence in 2015 spurred on by the 9
people , including our colleague Cynthia Hurd, murdered by gunfire in
Charleston, South Carolina, on June 17, 2015; and

Whereas the only thing needed for the triumph of evil is for good people to
do nothing and to remain silent;
now, therefore, be it
Resolved, that the American Library Association (ALA), on behalf of its
members:

1. extends its sincere condolences to the family and friends of the 49
people who were shot dead at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, and to all the
families and friends of the thousands of victims of gun violence;

2. deplores the gun violence that materially affects the communities we
serve;

3. works with other professional associations to support sensible and
effective and national gun safety laws, oppose “gun friendly” state
legislation, in particular any legislation that permits the carrying of
guns in or near libraries and schools;

4. calls on Congress to lift restrictions that prohibit the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention and other Department of Health and Human
Services agencies from conducting gun violence research as a response to
library communities in crisis;

5. resolves to advance the idea of libraries mitigating violence in our
culture by serving as “safe havens” for the public, as evidenced during the
recent uprisings in Ferguson, MO and Baltimore, MD, and by offering public
education opportunities that advance the notion of libraries as
perpetuators of peace.



-- 
*Diedre Conkling*




*Lincoln County Library DistrictP.O. Box 2027Newport, OR 97365Phone & Fax:
541-265-3066Work email**: **diedre at lincolncolibrarydist.org*
<diedre at lincolncolibrarydist.org>
*Home email: **diedre08 at gmail.com* <diedre08 at gmail.com>

“If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change
your attitude.”―Maya Angelou
.
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