Hawaii: Firearm Ban Passes House- Contact Your Senator Today!
News Release from NRA-ILA, Monday, April 7, 2025
On Friday, the Hawaii House passed Senate Bill 401, legislation that would expand the current ban on "assault pistols" to include certain rifles and shotguns in addition to banning standard capacity magazines. The bill will now head back to the Senate for a concurrence vote. This is the last opportunity to stop this bill before it heads to the Governor's desk. Please contact your Senator today and urge them to oppose Senate Bill 401 and the procedural “gut and replace” tactics used to advance this bill.
As reported last week, anti-gun legislators used procedural maneuvers to bypass deadlines and the committee hearing process by stuffing language from a defeated semi-automatic firearm ban bill into a new bill. The original bill, House Bill 893, did not receive a committee hearing in the Senate by the legislative deadline and should have been defeated for the year. On March 13th, however, the Chair of the House Committee on Judiciary Committee inserted the language from HB 893 into SB 401, thereby bypassing a Senate committee hearing on the bill.
Please stay tuned to the NRA-ILA website and your inbox for updates as this critical legislation progresses.
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From Hawaii Firearms Coalition April 2, 2025
As a law-abiding firearm owner in Hawai‘i, I’m writing this because something serious just happened at the Capitol, and most people have no idea it even occurred. A bill that was originally just about banning .50 caliber firearms has been completely rewritten behind closed doors—and it now threatens the rights of every responsible gun owner in the state.
Let me explain what went down and how you can help stop it.
What SB401 Was Supposed to Do
When SB401 was first introduced, it was pretty straightforward. The original version (SB401 SD2) was a short, focused bill—less than 500 words. It proposed a ban on .50 caliber firearms but included exemptions for legally owned guns and antique firearms. Whether you agreed with it or not, at least it was clear, and the public had a chance to weigh in.
>>What Happened on March 13 Changed Everything<<
During a hearing on March 13 in the House Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, Chair Rep. David Tarnas inserted language from a completely different bill (HB893) into SB401. This new version—called SB401 HD1—is now over 2,600 words long and has been completely rewritten into an assault weapons ban.
That’s right. In one vote, this bill went from targeting .50 caliber rifles to banning all semi-automatic rifles with detachable magazines, adding new definitions like “assault shotgun” and “fixed magazine,” restricting magazine capacity, and even creating new criminal penalties.
And here's the worst part…
The Public Wasn't Told the Truth
Despite the massive changes, the official bill comitte report STILL says:
“The purpose of this measure is to include any firearm with the capacity to fire ammunition of fifty caliber or higher"
That's not just misleading—it’s deceptive. And it could very well violate the Hawai‘i Supreme Court’s 2021 ruling against “gut and replace” tactics, which are supposed to be unconstitutional. That ruling said bills must be read three times in their final form so the public and lawmakers know what they’re voting on.
This version of SB401? It hasn’t gone through that process.
This Affects All of Us
Even if you don’t own a semi-auto rifle, even if you think the original .50 cal ban was fine—this should worry you. This kind of political maneuvering sets a dangerous precedent where laws can be rewritten without notice, and your rights can be restricted with little to no public input.
We can’t let that happen.
Here’s How You Can Help
We need to speak up now and tell House leadership not to advance SB401 HD1 any further. The bill in its current form needs to be stopped.
Please take a few minutes to call or email the following representatives and politely ask them to oppose SB401 HD1 and prevent it from being scheduled for a full House vote:
Speaker Nadine K. Nakamura – (808) 586-6100
Vice Speaker Linda Ichiyama – (808) 586-6220
Minority Leader Lauren Matsumoto – (808) 586-9490
Let them know you support transparent, lawful legislation—not rushed and rewritten bills that mislead the public.
Share This Info
I’ve also put together a social media thread and graphic to help spread the word. Feel free to repost, tag friends, or email your local reps. The more noise we make, the harder it will be for them to ignore us.
If we don’t stand up now, we could lose more than just our firearms—we could lose our voice in the process.
Stay informed. Stay active. Stay free.
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Hawaii Action Needed! Procedural Maneuvers Are Putting Your Rights at Risk!
from NRA-ILA, Thursday, April 3, 2025
Anti-gun legislators have used procedural maneuvers to bypass deadlines and the committee hearing process by stuffing language from a defeated semi-automatic firearm ban bill into a new bill, Senate Bill 401.
SB 401, as amended, is now over 2,600 words long and will ban semi-automatic rifles with a detachable magazine, “assault shotguns”, and standard capacity magazines.
SB 401 could receive its second floor vote as early as today.
Please use the TAKE ACTION button below to contact your Representative and urge them to oppose this bill and the "gut and replace" tactics that were used to advance it.
Additionally, please call House Leadership and politely request them not to bring Senate Bill 401 for a floor vote given the deceptive political maneuvering that undermines a fair and open legislative process.
Speaker Nadine K. Nakamura – (808) 586-6100
Vice Speaker Linda Ichiyama – (808) 586-6220
Minority Leader Lauren Matsumoto – (808) 586-9490
House Bill 893, the firearm ban bill that has now been stuffed in Senate Bill 401, passed the House on March 3rd and was referred to committee in the Senate. Having not been scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate by the cutoff deadline, HB 893 should have been dead for the session.
On March 13th, however, the Chair of the House Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs inserted language from HB 893 into SB 401, bypassing a Senate committee hearing on the bill. SB 401 has now received its first floor vote and could pass the House as early as today.
Again, please use the TAKE ACTION button above to contact your Representative in opposition to the bill and politely contact House Leadership to request that SB 401 not be brought up for a floor vote.
Please stay tuned to the NRA-ILA website and your inbox for updates.
SB401: Text, Status
HB893: Text, Status
HNN: Gun owners say they were ambushed by assault weapons bill