Question: Regarding unwanted guns, I’m assuming many of the firearms turned in Saturday were legally registered. If so, are the firearms records belonging to those guns destroyed?
Answer: No, records won’t be destroyed, but firearms will be. A firearm’s destruction will be noted on its record, if the gun was registered, Michael S. Vincent, a spokesperson for the state Department of Law Enforcement, said in an email Tuesday. Here are his responses to other readers’ questions about Saturday’s event at Aloha Stadium, which saw hundreds of guns exchanged for Foodland gift cards, no questions asked.
Q: Does the state check to see whether weapons turned in were registered?
A: Yes. “The serial number of every firearm that is turned in is checked with law enforcement records to determine if it was registered and the status of the firearm. The county police department firearms section runs all checks on the serial number. If a registered firearm was reported stolen, then the firearm is returned to the county police department for proper disposition. All other firearms are destroyed.”
Q: What happens to the registration record associated with any given firearm?
A: “The county police department makes a notation on the firearm record that it was turned in and destroyed.”
Q: How many of the weapons turned in on Saturday were registered? How many were not registered?
A: “A total of 514 firearms were turned in on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024. However, we do not yet know how many of them were registered, unregistered, or have a reported status because the process of performing the investigations for each firearm can be time consuming and is not yet completed.”
Q: What happens to the firearms that were turned in? If they are destroyed, how are they destroyed?
A: Firearms reported stolen are returned to their registered owners; others are destroyed. “The destruction of firearms is performed by our officers following guidelines issued by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives,” Vincent said.
The ATF website, www.atf.gov, says the agency’s “firearm destruction policy requires destruction of the entire firearm, including all parts.” For state and local law enforcement agencies following their own laws or policies, the ATF’s recommended best practice “is to destroy the entire firearm, including all parts (slides, barrels, etc.). This is particularly important given the increasing criminal use of untraceable privately made firearms (“ghost guns”), which are often assembled with used firearm parts.”
Q: Is Re-use Hawaii closing? They aren’t accepting donated building materials.
A: Re-use Hawaii is moving, not closing. There’s a half-price sale going on through Saturday, after which the nonprofit’s store at 200 Keawe St. in Kakaako will close.
“After 15 wonderful years, Re-use Hawai‘i is in the process of relocation and expansion and will be closed throughout September to facilitate this transition. We are currently not accepting material donations but we will re-activate that program once we are able to receive materials at our new location,” spokesperson Vanessa Ablola said in an email Wednesday.
She didn’t want to mention the new address yet, but promised to supply details soon.
The nonprofit organization runs a deconstruction program, redistribution center and workforce training to reduce waste and promote sustainable building and living. Like you, many Oahu residents donate materials and supplies from their renovation projects, which are sold to bargain-hunting recyclers. Learn more at reusehawaii.org.
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.
