Guns: Supreme Court shows us the ‘Sensitive Places’

From HiFiCo, Dec 8, 2022

On 29 November 2022, the Honolulu City Council heard the first reading and testimony for and against Bill 57 “Sensitive Places” Bill that would severely impact the ability to LEGALLY carry a firearm on Oahu.

The current position of the Honolulu Firearms Coalition is that “Sensitive Places” must be restricted to those found in the opinions of the Supreme Court. Currently, there are three cases that have given guidance: these are McDonald, Heller, and Bruen.

The “Sensitive Places” list has been touched upon by the Supreme Court, including just five places; Court Houses, Jails/Prisons, Legislative Buildings, Schools (Public), and Polling Places/Voting Locations.

If you look at Bill 57, the Mayor has taken a cut-and-paste list from places such as New York, New Jersey, and D.C. to make a list that is currently failing at every challenge in court in those exact locations.

Mayor Rick Blangiardi came in to give testimony on bill 57, and during that testimony, you could see that he believes that his mostly Unconstitutional bill will pass legal scrutiny, yet his own council was unsure of its contents meaning and the legal proceedings already in play.

The Mayor appeared openly hostile toward the opinions of the public, and thru tone and manner bully seemingly tried to intimidate the Council members and the public. He arrived a few minutes before he gave testimony and appeared to be inserted in line before others who had waited hours. He promptly left soon after.

Hawaii Firearms Coalition has offered an open invitation to all council members to help craft a bill that will respect the rights of law-abiding citizens but also help with public safety with regard to carrying firearms in public.

We would like to thank the following members for their bold stand on the first reading of this bill with two “No” votes, Councilman Augie Tulba, District 9, Councilwoman Andria Tupola, District 1, and Councilwoman Val Okimoto with a vote of “With Reservation.”

These council members took their time to listen to the people of Hawaii, did their own research, and ultimately decided that the proposed bill was not a good thing.

We have a small amount of time before the next hearing. So reach out to your council members and let them know where you stand.