Hawaii: Gun Control Measures Introduced With More on the Way

The Hawaii Legislature opened on Wednesday and an onslaught of bills targeting your Second Amendment Rights have been introduced. Below, find a brief description of the more significant anti-gun bills that were introduced this week. 

House Bill 1599, House Bill 1734, and Senate Bill 2152 would change the permitting system for the purchase of rifles and shotguns (long guns) to match the procedure currently in place for handgun purchases. This would require an individual to obtain a permit from the police each and every time they wished to purchase a long gun that would only be valid for 10 days. Whereas now, only one permit is required to purchase any number of long guns, and is valid for a year. It goes without saying that these bills create an onerous and unnecessary new burden on law abiding citizens who wish to purchase long guns for sport, hunting, or home defense.

House Bill 1733 and Senate Bill 2151 would prohibit the purchase and manufacture of certain firearms parts by private individuals in an effort to ban home built firearms.  The legislation is vague and overly broad as to what exactly could constitute a part or parts that could subject a person to felony penalties. This legislation fails to recognize that prohibited persons already cannot lawfully possess any firearm, whether home built or produced by a licensed manufacturer. 

House Bill 1736 and Senate Bill 2154 would prohibit possession of magazines capable of holding more than ten rounds. These so called “high capacity” magazines are in fact standard equipment for commonly-owned firearms that many Americans legally and effectively use for an entire range of legitimate purposes, such as self-defense or competition. The bill recognizes the utility of these magazines by carving out an exemption for law enforcement, but would still violate the rights of ordinary citizens. It contains no “grandfathering” provision for affected magazines lawfully acquired prior to the ban, so citizens would be forced to dispose of their property, alter it, or surrender it to the government.

Continue to check your inbox and www.nraila.org for updates on issues impacting your Second Amendment Rights and hunting heritage.