Kansas: Topeka Library Board Approves 4-Year Concealed Carry Exemption
UPDATE October 17, 2013 Topeka Library Board Approves 4-year Concealed Carry Exemption (via Topeka Capital-Journal)
The Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library will seek a four-year exemption to the state’s new concealed carry law, after the board Thursday approved the measure 7-1.
Board member Quentin Martin was the lone vote against the exemption. He previously has spoken in favor of concealed carry and its safety benefits, though there was no discussion prior to Thursday’s vote. The board heard only one public comment, via email, that supported the decision.
From The Topeka-Capital Journal:
The Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library will attempt to exempt its facilities from the state’s new concealed-carry law for another four years.
The board on Thursday is scheduled to consider a resolution directing CEO Gina Millsap to “do all things necessary” to prohibit concealed-carry firearms in the library through 2017. According to the agenda item, the board reached a consensus Sept. 19 during a 55-minute executive session to pursue the extended exemption. The board also held a two-hour executive session Aug. 14 on the subject.
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Continuing its prohibition of concealed carry would cost the library between $182,000 and $246,000, depending on whether the guards are armed or full-time employees with benefits. That would require a mill levy increase of between 0.122 and 0.164 of a mill — less than an extra $2 on annual property taxes for a $100,000 home in the city limits.
Read the Complete Article
See Also: Topeka and Shawnee County Library Weighs Concealed Carry Options (July 8, 2013)
Filed under: Libraries, News, Public Libraries
About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.