Hawaii: Firearm Surrender Bill to be Heard, Trigger Modification Bill Passes Committee

On February 6^th, the Hawaii Senate Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs (PSM) passed Senate Bill 2046 and also passed Senate Bill 2436 with amendments. Both bills will now move to the Senate Judiciary Committee for further consideration.  Tomorrow, February 8^th, the House Committee on Public Safety will hear House Bill 2228, legislation that will drastically reduce the time period that prohibited persons have to surrender firearms.  Please contact members of the House Committee on Public Safety and urge their opposition to House Bill 2228.  Click the “Take Action” button below to contact members of the committee.

Also, please consider submitting testimony to the committee through the Hawaii Legislature website.  In order to submit testimony, you will need to create an account.  For help creating an account and submitting testimony, click here.

Senate Bill 2046, sponsored by Senator Karl Rhoads (D-13), would make it a crime to own, manufacture, possess, sell, barter, trade, gift, transfer, or acquire a firearm accessory or any other device, part or combination of parts that is designed to or functions to accelerate the rate of fire of a semi-automatic firearm.  In addition, SB 2046 would also criminalize installing, removing, or altering parts of a firearm with the intent to accelerate the rate of fire.  The broad and overreaching provisions of SB 2046 could criminalize firearm modifications such as competition triggers, muzzle brakes, and ergonomic changes that are commonly done by law-abiding gun owners to make their firearms more suitable for self-defense, competition, hunting, or even overcoming disability. Senate Bill 2046 passed the Senate Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs and will now move to the Senate Judiciary Committee for further consideration. A hearing date has not been scheduled at this time.

Senate Bill 2436, sponsored by Senator Clarence Nishihara (D-17), would drastically shorten the time period a prohibited person, whether temporarily or permanently prohibited, has to comply with the current requirement to surrender their firearms from 30 days to an unspecified number of hours.  This expedited time period could subject an individual, who may have nothing more than allegations as the basis for the prohibition, to an unfettered search of their home and/or business within hours of being accused; all this without taking into account the many issues surrounding “surrender statutes” in general, including possible violations of an individual’s right against self-incrimination. Senate Bill 2436 passed the Senate Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs with amendments, at the time of this posting the amendments had not been made available.  HB 2436 will now move to the Senate Judiciary Committee for further consideration. A hearing date has not been scheduled at this time.

House Bill 2228, sponsored by Representative Gregg Takayama (D-34), is similar to SB 2436, dramatically reducing the time period a prohibited person, whether temporarily or permanently prohibited, has to comply with the current requirement to surrender their firearms from 30 days to 24 hours.  This expedited time period could subject an individual, who may have nothing more than allegations as the basis for the prohibition, to an unfettered search of their home and/or business within days of being accused; all this without taking into account the many issues surrounding “surrender statutes” in general, including possible violations of an individual’s right against self-incrimination.  House Bill 2228 has been scheduled for a hearing by the House Committee on Public Safety this Thursday, February 8^th at 10:00AM.

Again, please click the “Take Action” button above to urge committee members to oppose HB 2228 and submit testimony to the committee with the Hawaii Legislature website.  Continue to check your inbox and www.NRAILA.org for the latest updates on issues impacting your Second Amendment rights and hunting heritage in Hawaii.