HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-03-13 Letter to Gregg Takayama and Cedric Asuega Gates SB 600 Relating to Firearms
County of Hawai‘i
Office of the Mayor
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County of Hawai‘i is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.
Wil Okabe
Managing Director
Harry Kim
Mayor
Barbara J. Kossow
Deputy Managing Director
March 13, 2019
Representative Gregg Takayama, Chair
Representative Cedric Asuega Gates, Vice Chair
Committee on Public Safety, Veterans, and Military Affairs
Dear Chair Takayama, Vice Chair Gates, and Committee Members:
RE: SB 600, Relating to Firearms
SB 600 would provide that no person under 21 years of age can bring a firearm into the State of
Hawaiʻi. This would match the age requirement for a permit to acquire a firearm, and would seem to be a
common sense provision—why would a person in Hawaiʻi be held to a higher standard than a person (resident
or non-resident) traveling to Hawaiʻi?
An issue has been raised that such a requirement would be an unconstitutional restriction on the right
to bear arms. But even President Trump has called for raising the legal age to buy a gun to 21. If purchases
can be limited by age, then so can registration, and so can transport into the State.
I urge approval of SB 600.
Respectfully Submitted,
Harry Kim
MAYOR