Hawaii has some of the strongest gun laws in the nation, routinely earning high marks from gun-control advocacy groups for responding to emerging firearms concerns and high-profile cases of senseless violence.
For example, two years ago Hawaii became one of eight states to ban possession of a so-called “bump stock” rifle attachment, which allows a shooter to fire continuously with a single pull of the trigger. The device figured prominently in the 2017 mass shooting at an outdoor concert in Las Vegas that killed 58 people and wounded 500.
State lawmakers are now advancing three proposals that address valid public safety concerns, including one prompted by the Jan. 19 tragedy in the Diamond Head area, in which two police officers were fatally shot outside a residence on Hibiscus Drive.
The Senate Judiciary Committee has given preliminary approval to House Bill 2709, which would require that when a gun owner dies, a representative of the gun owner’s estate must contact police to ensure that the firearms are sold or transferred to a legally qualified owner or disposed of properly.
The bill’s opponents have viewed the measure as unnecessary meddling in estate affairs. Outweighing that assessment is the potential for a protection against too-easy access to firearms.
Also securing tentative approval from the Senate committee is House Bill 1902, which would immediately limit possession of large-capacity ammunition magazines to law enforcement officials. The bill extends the reach of a ban already in place for pistols to include long guns, including rifles.
The bill’s opponents, including the National Rifle Association, maintain in written testimony that large-capacity magazines — those that can hold 10 or more bullets — have a clear self-defense purpose that’s backed up by the Second Amendment. Offering a striking counterpoint in testimony was Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim.
Kim pointed out that while the amendment guarantees the right to keep and bear arms, “This right, too, must be subject to reasonable restrictions, or else we would each be able to have our own machine gun mounted on our mantelpiece or strapped over our shoulders.”
The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence asserts that states need enforceable bans as the large-capacity magazine is a common thread in mass shootings. It enables a shooter to fire many rounds without taking the time to reload — and that pause can be critical for law enforcement and others to intervene.
While HB 1902 rightly aims to prevent gun violence, it barely registers as a step because it would “grandfather” people who already own the magazines, allowing them to keep them.
The third advancing proposal, House Bill 2744, deals with the issue of untraceable guns known as “ghost guns.” This bill would make obtaining firearm parts for the purpose of assembling a gun without a serial number a Class C felony; it also would establish the Gun Violence and Violent Crimes Commission that reports to the Legislature.
Earlier this year, attorneys general in 20 states — including Hawaii — filed a lawsuit challenging a federal regulation that could allow blueprints for making ghost guns on 3D printers to be posted on the internet. Such a posting would allow construction of firearms that can be difficult to detect, even with a metal detector.
While proponents argue there’s a free-speech constitutional right to publish the blueprints, state Attorney General Clare Connors has asserted that such publishing turns a worrisome blind eye to “unregistered, untraceable firearms.” Ghost guns could create a whole new level of community risk in Hawaii.
State lawmakers should back these bills, as tough restrictions mean fewer weapons falling into the wrong hands, lessening the potential for harm or self-harm.
