Hawaii: Anti-Gun Bills Scheduled for Hearing Tomorrow

News Release from NRA-ILA, February 1, 2017

Tomorrow, February 2, two anti-gun bills have been scheduled for consideration in the Senate Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs.  Both bills could deprive individuals of their Second Amendment rights simply based on allegations, without a conviction, mental adjudication or other prohibiting factors.  Please contact members of the committee and politely urge them to OPPOSE these misguided bills.  Please click the “Take Action” button below to contact committee members!

Senate Bill 280, sponsored by state Senator Gilbert- Keith-Agaran (D-5), Senator Stanley Chang (D-9) and Senator Will Espero (D-19), would prohibit gun ownership to those placed on the “Terrorist Watchlist” without due process of the law.  The NRA does not want terrorists or dangerous people to have firearms; however, the NRA is opposed to a secret government list, which a large number of Americans mistakenly end up on every year, being used to deny individuals their constitutional rights.

Senate Bill 898, sponsored by state Senator Ronald Kouchi (D-8), would permanently strip an individual of their Second Amendment rights, not based on a criminal conviction or mental adjudication, but based on a quasi criminal proceeding. The bill allows for firearms to be seized based on an ex-parte warrant application based on the low evidentiary standard of probable cause. An individual is entitled to a hearing, however that hearing may not take place for up to 30 days. At the hearing, the seized firearms can be retained and a permanent firearm prohibition can be put in place, not because of a disqualifying offense but merely the risk of one.

No one wants dangerous individuals to have access to firearms, however this is not about dangerous people. This bill sets to ignore the normal rules of criminal procedure in order to promote the anti-gun agenda of the political elites and others.

Once again, please click the “Take Action” button to contact members of the committee and politely urge them to OPPOSE these misguided bills.