[Michlib-l] Guns in Libraries Reponses

[Sharon Crotser-Toy]

Greetings!

Thanks so much for all of your help and the time it took to comment on this
difficult issue! I was asked to share the responses, which follow.

Thanks, again!


Because this is such a touchy topic, I strongly suggest you contact your
attorney.  We had our attorney re-write our weapons policy last year in
light of the issues.  Anne Seurynk of Foster Swift.

____________________________________________________________________
Our attorney wrote our policy to discourage weapons in the library, but not
prohibit them, as the laws do not allow that. It is also flexible to take
into account that laws can and do change from time to time. See #12 in our
patron rules of conduct.
“Carrying guns, pistols, firearms or other weapons is prohibited, except
where carrying such guns, pistols or firearms is (1) specifically permitted
by law and/or (2) exempt from local regulation by law.”
____________________________________________________________________
The result of the CADL v. Mich Open Carry court case was indeed to confirm
that public libraries may not impose restrictions on firearms that are not
already a matter of State Law.

I have attached an information guide that I wrote covering this topic.

Please note that this guide does NOT yet include any information on any
firearm or gun bills that are currently in consideration in the
legislature, or that have been considered in the wake of the Parkland
shooting.

I hope it is helpful.
Please let me know if you have any questions, or if I can be of any
assistance.
[I’ve attached it to this message since its 8 pages long and I believe it
has been shared directly]
____________________________________________________________________
To my knowledge it has never been permissible for libraries to prohibit
weapons.

GDL has the following section in our Patron Code of Conduct:

“3. All weapons are banned from Library premises to the fullest extent
permitted by law.”

In practice, we tell our staff to contact local police whenever they see a
gun.  The philosophy behind this is, a) If it is a concealed carry they
shouldn’t be seeing it, b) If it is open carry they cannot legally ask the
person to leave, c) no staff should confront a person carrying a guy, we
leave that to trained law enforcement.

We also have active shooter procedures as follows:

If outside the building (if steps can be done SAFELY)
1. Barricade all outside doors.
2. Get all individuals on the floor and out of the line of fire.
3. Call 911 and report your location.
4. Remain calm until an “all clear” is given by authorities.
5. Call your emergency contacts.

If inside the building (if steps can be done SAFELY)
1. Flee to safe place if possible.
2. If not, barricade yourself behind a closed door.
3. Wedge something under the door OR
4. Slide heavy object (desk or file) against the door OR
5. Tie door shut with a belt or fashion tie.
6. Get on floor an out of the line of fire.
7. Call 911 and report your location.
8. Remain calm until an “all clear” is given by authorities.
9. Call your emergency contacts.

____________________________________________________________________
Open carry/concealed cannot be restricted by libraries. The info sheet in
the thread is indeed accurate.

One thing about the info sheet that may need an addition:

Federal law prohibits firearm ownership for anyone in the following groups:

Federal law establishes the baseline regarding the types of persons who are
ineligible to purchase firearms. The federal Gun Control Act of 1968,
codified at 18 U.S.C. § 922, generally prohibits the sale of firearms to
any person who:
• Has been convicted of, or is under indictment for, a crime punishable by
imprisonment for more than one year;23
• Is a fugitive from justice;
• Is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance;24
• Is underage;25
• Has been adjudicated as a mental defective or committed to a mental
institution;26
• Is unlawfully in the United States or has been admitted to the U.S. under
a nonimmigrant visa;
• Has been dishonorably discharged from the military;
• Has renounced his or her U.S. citizenship;
• Is subject to a court order restraining him or her from harassing,
stalking or threatening an intimate partner, his or her child or a child of
a partner, or engaging in other conduct that would place an intimate
partner in reasonable fear of bodily injury to the partner or child; or
• Has been convicted of a misdemeanor offense of domestic violence.27
I believe Michigan adheres to these guidelines as well from what I have
gathered.



-- 
Sharon Crotser-Toy
Director
*Watervliet District Library*
333 N. Main Street
Watervliet, MI 49098
269-463-6382

Connects People, Inspires Ideas, Transforms Lives
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