Michigan, Hawaii Launch ‘Tip Lines’ To Snitch On Gun Owners

from Daily Caller, October 11, 2024

Michigan and Hawaii recently advanced tip lines aimed at preventing gun crime, but Second Amendment proponents warn these initiatives could be weaponized against law abiding citizens.

On Thursday, Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed into law an education funding bill – except it allocated money to establish an anonymous tip line for students to report improper storage of firearms, according to House Bill (HB) 5503.

The bill allocates up to $1 million for 2024-2025 to create a tip line at an intermediate district, according to the legislation. It also funds the creation of “educational materials” with information on how to report improperly stored guns.

The legislation notes that an “improperly stored firearm” is one stored in violation of Michigan’s Act 372 of 1927, a law that regulates how firearms are stored in the presence of minors.

Michigan previously enacted a “secure storage law,” according to a Michigan Health & Human Services press release in February. It mandates that unattended firearms are kept “unloaded and locked with a locking device or stored in a locked box or container” if a minor will likely be present.

Critics said this tip line was a rushed amendment to the education bill.

“HB 5503 is an omnibus education funding bill that was amended to include the ‘tipline’ language and swiftly passed through the legislature with hours,” the NRA-ILA wrote in a press release.

The organization argued that the program could culminate in searches by law enforcement, including in people’s homes and businesses.

Republicans in Michigan decried the move as an attack on civil liberties.

“This hotline is nothing more than a page out of the Stasi playbook – encouraging children to spy on their own families,” Republican State Rep. Angele Rigas told The Midwesterner.

Another Republican, State Sen. Thomas Albert, labeled the amendment “a tattletale provision,” according to the outlet.

“This is a dangerous step toward weaponizing children in households for the left, and an outrageous government overreach under the guise of public safety,” Rigas warned, according to The Midwesterner.

Democratic Hawaii Gov. Josh Green announced Wednesday that the Department of Law Enforcement (DLE) created a “Gun Tip Line” for individuals to anonymously report “illegal gun ownership and gun crimes,” according to a press release.

The announcement also encourages people to report the names of any suspects, their locations and descriptions of the firearms.

“The Gun Tip Line offers another way the public can assist law enforcement in protecting our neighborhoods,” DLE Director Jordan Lowe stated in the press release. He said stolen guns, unregistered firearms and “guns in the wrong hands” can lead to crime.

“So, if you see something, send something to the Gun Tip Line and help us make Hawai’i safer,” Lowe added.

Hawaii’s Supreme Court ruled in February against a state constitutional right to carry a firearm, the Daily Caller News Foundation reported.

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Department of Law Enforcement Establishes Gun Tip Line

News Release from DLE, Oct 10, 2024

HONOLULU – The Department of Law Enforcement (DLE) has established a Gun Tip Line for people to make anonymous reports of illegal gun ownership and gun crimes.

“The Gun Tip Line offers another way the public can assist law enforcement in protecting our neighborhoods,” said DLE Director Jordan Lowe. “Guns that have been stolen, guns that haven’t been registered and guns in the wrong hands are often used to commit crimes. The consequences can be tragic. So, if you see something, send something to the Gun Tip Line and help us make Hawai‘i safer.”

There are several ways to report a gun tip.

• Call or text the Gun Tip Line at 808-427-4018.
• Submit a tip on the DLE website at law.hawaii.gov.
• Download the Saferwatch app where tipsters can submit photographs and videos with their tips.

All tips are confidential. All tipsters may remain anonymous.

People reporting tips are encouraged to leave detailed information including the names of those in possession of illegal guns or committing gun crimes, a location where those people may be found and a description of the guns. Tipsters may leave their name and phone number if they would like to be contacted.

In emergency situations that require immediate assistance, people are still advised to call 9-1-1.

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HTH: State launches Gun Tip Line - Hawaii Tribune-Herald