WHEREAS:
The worst mass shooting in our country’s history occurred on June 12, 2016, when a lone gunman killed 49 people and injured scores more at an Orlando nightclub. Lamentably, these victims join a long list which includes recent senseless mass shootings at a school in Newtown, at a movie theater in Aurora, at a public employee workplace in San Bernardino, at a church in Charleston, and in too many other American communities. We mourn each of these victims, every one representing a spark of human potential, now permanently extinguished: and
WHEREAS:
Such mass shootings inflict a particular wound to the American spirit, not simply because of the number of victims, but because every incident occurred in a place where people should be able to feel safe – a school, a movie theater, an office, a church, a nightclub; and
WHEREAS:
It is disturbing that, in the majority of these instances, the perpetrator of the massacre lived in the community of those he killed, living and working alongside his victims. When someone in our community turns against us to commit such an atrocity, it is right to examine both the motivation and the means, to ensure that such a tragedy never again occurs; and
WHEREAS:
We may never be able to completely fathom the reason behind such violence, but there are salient facts about these shootings that must guide our calls for policies to prevent further occurrences. We know that mental illness, hatred of groups and individuals stemming from racism and homophobia, and terrorism each played a significant role in one or more of these shootings. And we know that the shooters’ use of assault weapons allowed them to claim many more victims than if they had used another type of gun; and
WHEREAS:
Our mental health safety net remains desperately underfunded. Federal mental health funding for such initiatives as the Community Mental Health Services Block Grant and the National Behavioral Health Workforce Grant decreased by more than one billion dollars in the last appropriation cycle.
Further, mental health spending was cut in eleven state budgets in 2015, including such states as Alaska, Iowa, Kentucky and Ohio; and
WHEREAS:
The FBI and other law enforcement agencies have thwarted dozens of terrorist plots in the United States since 9/11, but still more needs to be done to identify homegrown terrorist schemes; and
WHEREAS:
Following each tragic incident, Members of Congress engage in a moment of silence. Unfortunately, that silence has extended to a failure to act and a failure to do what is necessary to keep our communities safe.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:
That AFSCME will advocate for commonsense measures at the federal level, including expanded background checks and Constitutionally compliant restrictions on the sale of weapons that will keep weapons out of the hands of suspected terrorists and others who present a danger to our communities. We cannot wait another day. AFSCME demands that Congress act now; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
That AFSCME will support the development of new methods and funding to help identify and prevent domestic terrorism consistent with our constitutional freedoms. Further, we support 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
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
That AFSCME will advocate for increased mental health funding at the federal, state and local levels. Programs to increase both inpatient and outpatient services must be funded, 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; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:
That AFSCME commends the brave women and men of the Orlando, Newtown, Aurora, San Bernardino and Charleston Police Departments and other public safety personnel and first responders who put their lives on the line as they bring these tragic episodes to a close and care for the victims.
SUBMITTED BY: INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE BOARD