Measures
could have prevented the murders of two police offices in January
Honolulu, HawaiÊ»i – Police, first
responders and State lawmakers gathered on the grounds of the State Capitol
today to urge the House and Senate to pass four critical gun violence
prevention bills being voted on in both chambers tomorrow.
Police Chief Susan Ballard said these
bills have the full support of HPD .
"Please pass these bills for the
safety of our officers and the community," Ballard said. "I can show
you two good reasons to do that, the black band on our badges represent our two
officers that were killed. Passing these bills is the right thing to do."
Officers Tiffany Enriquez and Kaulike Kalama
were fatally shot while responding to the scene of a reported stabbing near
Diamond Head January 22 by a man with mental illness using guns that had
belonged to an individual who had died. That tragedy has heightened the urgency
with which lawmakers are considering measures dealing with gun violence and
mental health.
Jim Howe, Director of the Honolulu Emergency Services Department said paramedics, life guards, and Emergency Medical Technicians regularly put their lives at risk in performing their duties and these bills would help to reduce that risk.
"They are the ones on the scene that
go with police into homes trying to save lives," Howe said. "Even
though there is a risk, they still provide a high level of service. Life guards
are often harassed on beaches or if they have to call police for support. To
insure their safety and the safety of the community, please pass these
bills."
Representative Chris Lee, Chair of the
House Judiciary Committee, said these measures have been drafted with the help
of law enforcement, mental health agencies, and the Attorney General.
"We can uphold the second amendment
for law-abiding citizens while taking commonsense steps to keep guns out of the
hands of criminals and the mentally ill," Lee said. "HB2744 will
create a gun violence commission to share gun violence information and close
loopholes around unregistered guns assembled from component parts."
HB 2744
Relating to Gun Violence Prevention
Establishes the gun violence and violent crimes commission.
Requires reports to the Legislature. Makes it a class C felony to purchase,
manufacture, or otherwise obtain firearm parts for the purpose of assembling a
firearm having no serial number. Amends certain requirements relating to
firearms registration.
Representative Lee said this measure
establishes a gun violence and violent crimes commission to bring all law
enforcement and mental health agencies and experts together to share data,
resources, and better protect our community. It also prohibits people from
building their own guns from 3d printed parts or by ordering components online
from illegal sources without serial numbers and without registering those
firearms with law enforcement. Two homicides in Hawaiʻi have already
been committed using unregistered guns assembled from component parts and this
loophole needs to be closed.
Representative Gregg Takayama, Chair of
the House Public Safety, Veterans & Military Affairs Committee talked about
HB 1902 HD2.
"Many mass shooters use large
capacity magazines. When they have to stop and reload, that is when they can be
stopped," said Takayama. "This bill makes it the same requirements
for rifles as for handguns. No one expects a mass shooting in their community
and we are taking these steps now to make sure it doesn't happen here."
Extends
the prohibition for large capacity magazines to all firearms, rather than just
pistols. Provides an exception to the prohibition for law enforcement agencies
and duly authorized officers. Prohibits certain individuals from owning
firearms who: (1) as a minor, were diagnosed with behavioral, emotional, or
mental disorders, unless the person has been medically documented to be no
longer either adversely affected by the behavioral, emotional, or mental
disorder or deemed a danger to themselves or others; or (2) were adjudicated by
the family court to have committed a certain number of crimes of violence.
Requires records of these diagnoses or adjudications to be made available to law
enforcement officials. (HD1)
Representative Takayama said
10 of the worst mass shootings in the United States in the past decade involved
the use of large-capacity magazines. Honolulu Police requested a 10-round
limit on magazines because the best opportunity to intervene in a mass shooting
is when the shooter has to reload. Currently Hawaiʻi restricts handguns to 10-round magazines; this bill would
extend the same limit to rifles, which currently have no limit on magazine
capacities. Eight other states have enacted such a law.
Senator Karl Rhoads, Chair of the Senate
Judiciary Committee, said HB 2709 deals with a loophole in current law that
allows guns to fall into the wrong hands after their owner has died.
HB 2709 Relating
to the Uniform Probate Code
Requires a personal representative of a
decedent appointed under the Uniform Probate Code to notify the police
department of the appropriate county of any and all firearms in an
estate. Requires the police department to certify that all firearms in an
estate are properly transferred or disposed of before the estate may close.
Senator Rhoads said this measure ensures
that when a person dies, their guns are properly transferred to a new legal
owner, or are sold through proper channels to ensure they don’t fall into the
wrong hands. Firearms are sometimes left by the deceased without
accountability, and this would ensure they don’t end up on the black market or
are discovered and used illegally by those without proper training.
"The NRA will say that gun violence
prevention laws mean that only criminals will have guns. That argument could be
made for any law and it is just not true," said Senator Rhoads. "Hawaiʻi
has among the strongest gun laws and lowest rates of gun violence in the
country, but loopholes continue to allow guns and ammunition to fall into the
wrong hands. We already have more than one gun per person in Hawaiʻi. We need
to keep those guns out of the hands of criminals. These bills make a lot of
sense."
Representative Joy San Buenaventura, Chair
of the House Human Services and Homelessness Committee, said HB2736 HD2 will
help keep guns out of the hands of people who are mentally ill.
"The tragic incident involving the
deaths of two Honolulu Police Officers in January has highlighted the need to
improve mental health care and ensure we prevent guns from getting into the
hands of those suffering from mental illness," Representative San Buenaventura
said.
HB2736 HD1 Ammunition;
Purchase; License to Sell. Requires the licensing of sellers of ammunition, and
for the identification and proper permitting of purchasers or possessors of
ammunition. Regulates ammunition in the same manner that firearms are
regulated.
Representative San Buenaventura said
currently anyone who acquires an illegal gun off the black market or gets
access to guns that are not their own can walk into a gun store and purchase
ammunition to fire them without a background check or accountability. This
measure requires proof of gun registration to be showed before a person can
purchase ammunition. This will allow law-abiding gun owners easy access to
ammunition, but prevent criminals, the mentally ill, and others who should not
have guns from acquiring ammunition even if they have acquired an illegal gun,
such as the suspect had in the case of the Diamondhead shooting.
"When you put a gun into the hands of
a person that is mentally ill, you've got an explosion waiting to happen,"
Chief Ballard said.
Read
more at:
Honolulu
police troubled by big spike in crimes involving firearms Hawaii
News Now
Honolulu
Police Chief Offers Plans to Curb Violence Officer.com
Hawaii
eyes closing gun loopholes, bolstering mental health AP
Editorial:
Close loopholes in isles’ gun laws Star
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