Hawaii Could Be First to Put Gun Owners in Federal Database
by Marina Starleaf Riker, AP, May 24, 2016 (excerpts)
Hawaii could become the first state in the United States to enter gun owners into an FBI database that will automatically notify police if an island resident is arrested anywhere else in the country.
(But only if Gov Ige signs SB2954, now sitting on his desk, into law.)
Most people entered in the "Rap Back" database elsewhere in the U.S. are those in "positions of trust," such as school teachers and bus drivers, said Stephen Fischer of the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services Division. Hawaii could be the first state to add gun owners.
"I don't like the idea of us being entered into a database. It basically tells us that they know where the guns are, they can go grab them" said Jerry Ilo, a firearm and hunting instructor for the state. "We get the feeling that Big Brother is watching us." ….
Legal experts say the bill could face challenges, but would probably hold up in court. Recent Supreme Court rulings have clarified states' ability to regulate gun sales, said David Levine, a law professor at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.
The bill will undergo a legal review process by departments including the Attorney General's Office, which supported the bill, before Gov. David Ige decides if he will sign it into law, said Cindy McMillan, a spokeswoman for the governor.
The cost to enter names in the database will be covered by a fee paid by gun owners, which wasn't defined in the bill….
Some local gun owners say the law confirms their fear that the government would know exactly who and where people keep their firearms.
"This is an extremely dangerous bill. Exercising a constitutional right is not inherently suspicious," said Amy Hunter for the National Rifle Association. "Hawaii will now be treating firearms as suspect and subject to constant monitoring." …
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Hawaii: There’s Still Time to Contact the Governor on Three Anti-Gun Bills!
From NRA-ILA, MAY 24, 2016
Three anti-gun bills, Senate Bill 2647, House Bill 625 and Senate Bill 2954 are still on Governor Ige’s desk for his consideration. It is critical that you contact Governor Ige IMMEDIATELY with your opposition to these egregious bills!
SB 2647 would ban the sale, purchase, barter, and possession with intent to sell of any legally owned ivory (defined to include mammoth ivory), ivory product, rhinoceros horn, rhinoceros horn product and products from various other animal species, absent limited exceptions. To read more about ivory ban legislation, please refer to NRA-ILA’s Ivory Ban Fact Sheet.
SB 2954 would expand the existing registration requirement and input law-abiding Hawaii gun owners into a federal biometric database, managed by the FBI, for continuous monitoring, The exercise of an individual’s Second Amendment rights is not inherently suspicious and should not require a person to surrender other civil liberties, including unwarranted invasions of privacy or unequal treatment under the law. The lawful acquisition, possession, carrying, or use of a firearm does not justify subjecting citizens to ongoing monitoring.
HB 625 would expand prohibited possessors to include certain misdemeanor crimes. Constitutional rights are generally restricted only upon conviction of a felony. The reasons for this are two-fold. It limits restrictions on constitutional rights to only the most serious offenses, and, perhaps more importantly, felony convictions provide greater procedural protections to the accused, which results in more reliable convictions. The right to keep and bear arms should not be treated as a second-class right and should be restricted only upon conviction of a felony.
Please click the “Take Action” button above to contact Governor Ige with your opposition TODAY!
SB2954: Text, Status