WHEREAS:
The tragic mass murders in Buffalo, New York, Uvalde, Texas, and Highland Park, Illinois, are the most recent examples of senseless gun violence resulting in mass murder in America, carried out by youthful perpetrators who legally purchased assault-style weapons; and
WHEREAS:
Since AFSCME’s last convention, there have been more than 100 school shootings, including the mass shootings in Uvalde and Oxford, Michigan; and
WHEREAS:
Gun violence is now endemic in American society. In recent years, we have seen mass murders at schools, movie theaters, nightclubs, concert venues, malls, stores, our streets, places of worship and workplaces in the public and private sectors; and
WHEREAS:
AFSCME affiliates represent law enforcement employees who are endangered as a result of wanton gun violence, and their safety must be a key concern for our union; and
WHEREAS:
Despite ongoing attempts to be adequately prepared, law enforcement agencies struggle to keep up with high powered munitions when possessed by those intent on doing harm; and
WHEREAS:
Many other AFSCME members, such as child protection workers, mental health treatment workers, school-based personnel and probation and parole officers, are engaged in work that can put them in harm’s way when guns are readily available to those with criminal intent; and
WHEREAS:
Many AFSCME members have found their lives profoundly impacted by gun violence because they live or work in communities where mass shootings have occurred, and they have witnessed firsthand the trauma and tragedy that result from such wanton killing; and
WHEREAS:
The right of law-abiding citizens to legally own and responsibly use guns can be upheld while at the same time taking concrete steps to alleviate the threat of gun violence in our communities; and
WHEREAS:
The epidemic of deadly crimes involves not just readily available weapons but includes high-capacity magazines, bump stocks and other enhancements to weapons that have made some gun crimes far more deadly to our members in their work lives and to the communities that we serve; and
WHEREAS:
AFSCME members have previously called for commonsense reform of our nation’s gun laws, including support for expanded background checks, restrictions on assault-style weapons and other constitutionally compliant restrictions on gun sales to keep weapons out of the hands of suspected terrorists and others who present a danger to our communities; and
WHEREAS:
At the 42nd International Convention in 2016, AFSCME delegates supported “increased funding for first-responders, including post-event support services for those who arrive on the scene of these atrocities, so that they may continue to be effective in their work,” and also committed to advocating for “increased mental health funding at the federal, state and local levels” as well as “broader investment in the mental health workforce, and efforts to end the stigma of mental illness to promote earlier detection and treatment.” Delegates reaffirmed this commitment at the 44th International Convention in 2020; and
WHEREAS:
Despite the urgent need for reform of our gun laws, Congress has often failed to act. However, the adoption of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022 is a welcome indication that progress on gun legislation is possible. Although the policies in the legislation are insufficient to fully address the gun violence we face, they are a step in the right direction and lives may be saved; and
WHEREAS:
Unfortunately, at the same time Congress acted to strengthen the rights of Americans to be free from the threat of gun violence, the Supreme Court made the challenge of creating a safer America more difficult by striking down a 111-year-old New York state law designed to regulate concealed weapons in public spaces; and
WHEREAS:
Age-adjusted firearm homicide rates in the U.S. are 22 times greater than in the European Union. The U.S. has 23 times the rate of firearm homicide seen in Australia.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:
AFSCME urges Congress and the states to enact constitutionally compliant regulation of firearms to keep weapons out of the hands of people who represent a danger to our communities. Specifically, we urge the adoption of universal background checks and broader “red flag” and extreme risk laws to keep weapons out of the hands of people in crisis; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
AFSCME will support commonsense restrictions on lethal firearms. Specifically, AFSCME urges:
- Prohibiting the sale of assault-style weapons, such as AR-15s, to anyone under the age of 21; and
- Prohibiting the sale of high-capacity magazines (more than 10 rounds) other than to law enforcement agencies; and
- Prohibiting bump stocks and other devices that convert semi-automatic guns to fully automatic weapons; and
- Continuing the prohibition on the retail sale of silencers; and
- Prohibiting the sale and possession of ghost guns.
SUBMITTED BY:
International Executive Board