HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-03-10 Letter to Clarence Nishihara and Glenn Wakai HB 1902, HD2 Rlting to Firearms, HB 2709, HD2 Rlting to the Uni Prob Code, HB 2736, HD1 Rlting to Firearms Ammunition & HB 2744, HD1 Rlting to Gun Violence Prevention
County of Hawai‘i
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County of Hawai‘i is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.
Roy Takemoto
Managing Director
Harry Kim
Mayor
Barbara J. Kossow
Deputy Managing Director
March 10, 2020
Senator Clarence K. Nishihara, Chair
Senator Glenn Wakai, Vice Chair
Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs
Dear Chair Nishihara, Vice Chair Wakai, and Committee Members:
RE: HB 1902, HD2 Relating to Firearms, HB 2709, HD2 Relating to the
Uniform Probate Code, HB 2736, HD1 Relating to Firearms Ammunition and HB
2744, HD1 Relating to Gun Violence Prevention
The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States provides for
freedom of religion, speech, and press; and the right to peaceably assemble and to
petition the government. Yet, as fundamental and sacrosanct as those values are to
America, few if any would argue that those freedoms are not subject to reasonable
restrictions (take the cliché of “yelling ‘Fire’ in a crowded theater”).
Similarly, the Second 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.
So the question comes down to what is reasonable. That should be determined
by a free people acting through their elected representatives, in this case our State
Legislature. And given the times in which we live, and the carnage that we have
witnessed both in our own state and across the country, I thank you for taking on the
divisive but crucial task of deciding what reasonable restrictions might be.
HB 1902, HD2 would prohibit large capacity magazines for all firearms. They are
already restricted for pistols, and HB 1902, HD2 might be the most important bill before
you today, given the data on mass shootings that are set forth in the preamble of this
bill. HB 1902, HD2 also is an admirable effort to come closer to the goal that both sides
of the gun issue agree on—keeping weapons out of the hands of people who shouldn’t
have them. Whether problems were manifest during childhood or adulthood should not
matter.
March 10, 2019
Page 2
County of Hawai`i is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.
HB 2709, HD2 would close a loophole in ownership laws by requiring that all
firearms in an estate are properly transferred or disposed of before the estate may
close.
HB 2736 would regulate ammunition the same way firearms are regulated, and
require the licensing of sellers of ammunition. It would seem that this proposal would be
particularly valuable in the case of a firearm that is lost or stolen
HB 2744, HD1 would prohibit the assembly of a gun that would not have a serial
number (a “ghost gun”) and mandate a serial number for firearms brought into Hawaiʻi
that do not already have one. It also would establish a Commission that could issue
policy reports relating to preventing gun violence and violent crimes. Public policy
thrives when based on good data and research.
Can any of the restrictions contained in these four bills be considered
unreasonable? I have no doubt that some will say yes, but I would argue that all of
these bills would make Hawaiʻi a safer place without unduly restricting the right to keep
and bear arms.
Again, thank you for taking on these issues.
Respectfully Submitted,
Harry Kim
MAYOR