Guns seem to always be a topic of conversation in Seattle — last week was no exception. As of Nov. 4, guns are allowed in Seattle Public Libraries.
Until last year, the libraries had a no-guns policy. When the Washington Supreme Court ruled that guns were allowed in parks and community spaces, the policy changed. Even though library patrons are allowed to bring their guns with them while they pick out books, the new rule states they cannot draw or fire the weapon in any way.
It’s an interesting juxtaposition to Seattle-based Starbucks Coffee, which created a no-gun policy for all of its coffee shops, and Washington CeaseFire, which has a campaign with more than 125 businesses declaring themselves gun-free zones.
Logically, it’s important for Seattle Public Libraries to be in accordance with Supreme Court precedence. However, there is no real need to have a weapon in a library or public park. If our libraries and parks are that dangerous to need to draw a weapon, Seattle officials need to address those larger problems.
In national gun-related news, there was a deadly shooting at LAX on Nov. 1 in which Paul Anthony Ciancia allegedly shot Gerardo I. Hernandez, a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agent to reportedly “instill fear” in the TSA agents’ minds. After the incident, Sea-Tac International Airport’s security was beefed up, and some were calling for TSA officers to be armed.
The TSA’s already-questionable efficacy should warn decision-makers against arming the agents. Time and time again, we hear stories about people getting through security with restricted items. Or the recent story of a man getting past security and onto an unoccupied plane at Sea-Tac. One solo incident is not enough to warrant placing guns in the hands of all the untrained TSA agents. TSA agents are not trained to use weapons, and there would have to be a “major overhaul of the agency’s mission and the way it conducts business,” a Washington Post article said.
Crowded airports and local libraries are not the places for guns. Legally, Seattle gun owners have every right to take their gun while they pick up their newest nighttime reads. But there are too many innocent people around who could be victims of gunshot wounds from violent perpetrators, gun-toting citizens or those TSA agents just doing their job.
Even though it’s legal in Washington, the library is no place for a firearm.
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