Question: Regarding the upcoming gun amnesty/buyback on Aug. 24, are they also accepting unwanted ammunition, including ammunition that is made for the firearms being turned in?
Answer: Yes, but ammunition must be separated from any firearm (don’t drop off a loaded gun), and ammunition won’t qualify for a gift card, according to the state Department of Law Enforcement.
An event flyer stated “no ammunition,” but that’s to highlight safety concerns and to emphasize that gift cards will be given only for firearms dropped off at the event, which is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 24 in Aloha Stadium’s lower parking lot.
“We will not be turning away ammunition. The biggest concern is one of safety by avoiding … situations where people bring a loaded firearm to the event. We want to clarify that we will not turn away ammunition during the event, that any ammunition should be separate from any firearms, and that safety is the objective of this event by providing an opportunity for the public to turn in firearms in a safe environment,” Michael S. Vincent, the DLE’s deputy director for administration, said in an email.
Here are other key points about the event, from a DLE news release:
>> $200 Foodland gift card for any automatic or semiautomatic rifle, and ghost guns.
>> $100 Foodland gift card for handguns, rifles, shotguns, bump stocks, Glock switches.
>> Working and nonworking firearms accepted.
>> Only firearms qualify for gift cards.
>> No limit on the number of guns a person turns in, but there is a limit — three — on the number of gift cards a person can receive.
>> No ID required and no questions asked about who is dropping off the gun(s).
>> Licensed gun dealers and active/retired law enforcement aren’t eligible to participate.
>> Officials on-site reserve the right to refuse to accept a firearm or issue a gift card.
Q: Do you know whether masks are still mandatory while taking your driver’s license road test? Also, do all of the car’s windows need to be open?
A: “Masks are no longer required when taking the road test for the Hawaii driver’s license. Also, it’s no longer a requirement for the window of the car to remain open during the road test; however, it’s at the discretion of the examiner whether the car’s windows need t o be open,” Harold Nedd, spokesperson for the Honolulu Department of Customer Services, said Monday in an ail.
So be prepared to drive with the windows down if that’s what the examiner prefers.
The rules you asked about were in force near the height of the COVID- 19 pandemic, after the city resumed road tests for prospective drivers, which initially were suspended altogether.
Q: Regarding Social Security (808ne.ws/4cJuPST), I have an online account. When I have to switch to login.gov, what ID will they accept? My Hawaii state ID is about to expire, and I wasn’t planning to renew it because I just renewed my U.S. passport for 10 years, which is a form of ID, and I don’t drive, so I don’t need a license.
A: Login.gov, a secure sign-in service used by participating government agencies, including the U.S. Social Security Administration, accepts driver’s licenses or state IDs issued by U.S. states or territories to verify a prospective account holder’s identity, according to its website. It does not accept U.S. passports, military IDs or other identification documents, the website says.
“If you do not have a valid driver’s license or state ID card, you cannot use Login.gov for identity verification,” it says. “You cannot pass identity verification if your ID is expired. You cannot use extension documents in place of an unexpired ID. You cannot use a paper or temporary ID.”
As we reported Sunday, SSA is switching authentication services to Login.gov and has promised a seamless transition for people who created a “my Social Security” online account before Sept. 18, 2021. SSA will phase out those accounts starting in September. You may log on to your account at ssa.gov and try to complete the transition before your state ID expires, or choose to renew your state ID after all.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
