Hunters Under Fire: Bill SB 433 Criminalizes Knives and Bows
SB433: Text, Status
News Release from Sportsmen’s Alliance, February 2, 2026
Today, the Senate Public Safety and Military Affairs Committee has scheduled a public hearing on SB 433, a broadly written bill that criminalizes the essential tools used by Hawaii’s hunting community for generations.
Please use the Take Action button to email the committee members and urge them to oppose SB 433. Sportsmen must not be turned into criminals for carrying the tools of their trade.
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How SB 433 Impacts Hawaii Sportsmen
SB 433:
- criminalizes essential gear by prohibiting the “open carry” of “deadly or dangerous weapons,” and explicitly includes bladed weapons in that list. This criminalizes the carrying of knives commonly used for dispatching game, as well as bows and spears used in traditional hunting, turning a standard day in the field into a misdemeanor offense.
- does not exempt hunting. As written, the bill’s only real “affirmative defenses” are self-defense or specific methods of transportation (such as in a locked, hard-sided container). There is no clear protection for carrying these tools while engaged in lawful, permitted hunting activities.
- bans “public spaces,” which prohibits these essential tools in state parks and government lands that serve as primary public hunting areas.
Hearing Information and Testimony
The hearing is scheduled for 3 p.m. Mon, Feb 2, 2026, in conference room 016 and via video conference.
Protect Our Outdoor Way of Life
It is important that you share this critical action email with your family, friends, and fellow sportsmen. Urge them to use the Take Action button to email the committee and ask them to OPPOSE SB 433. There has never been a more crucial time in sportsmen’s history than now to be involved and engaged in protecting our way of life.
If we remain silent, others will shape the outcome. We cannot allow that to happen in the Aloha State. Urge your family and friends to join you and the Sportsmen’s Alliance in the fight against the rising tide of animal extremism and gun control activism. The legacy of hunting, fishing, and trapping depends on our actions today.
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SB 433 Defeated: Sportsmen Block Broad Ban on Hunting Bows and Knives
News Release from Sportsmen’s Alliance, February 7, 2026
Earlier this week, SB 433, the broadly written bill that would have criminalized the essential tools used by Hawaii’s hunting community for generations, was indefinitely deferred by the Senate Public Safety and Military Affairs committee. This means the bill is defeated for the year.
The Hidden Dangers of SB 433’s “Open Carry” Restrictions
As previously reported, SB 433 had no exemption for hunting and would have criminalized essential gear (bows) by prohibiting the “open carry” of “deadly or dangerous weapons,” and explicitly included bladed weapons in that list, in “public spaces.”
SB 2720: Firearm Manufacturer Fee Bill Also Halted
The committee indefinitely deferred a second bill, SB 2720, that would have established a Hawaiʻi Firearm Injury Restitution Fund and required firearm manufacturers to obtain a “firearm injury recovery cost license” to sell their products in the state, thereby funding the restitution fund.
The Fight for the Aloha State Continues
Hawaii’s legislative session is far from over. We will continue to monitor and report to you when your action may be needed.
Share this win with your family, friends, and fellow sportsmen. Remind them that if we remain silent, others will shape the outcome. We cannot allow that to happen in the Aloha State.
Join the Frontline: Defend Your Way of Life
Sportsmen are no longer just stewards of the land, water, and our cherished natural resources. We ARE the frontline defenders of a way of life increasingly under scrutiny.
Urge your family and friends to join you and the Sportsmen’s Alliance in the fight against the rising tide of animal extremism and gun control activism. The legacy of hunting, fishing, and trapping depends on our actions today.