Hawai‘i Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action Volunteers Underscore Urgent Need for Action on Gun Safety During Annual Advocacy Day in the Capitol 

Moms Demand Action Volunteers Testified in Support of SB 308 to Prohibit High-Capacity Magazines for All Firearms 

HONOLULU — The Hawai’i chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, issued the following statement following a day of action yesterday at the State Capitol. Gun Safety advocates met with lawmakers, and testified in support of legislation to stop gun violence in the Aloha State. 

“Our state is a prime example that strong gun laws work, but we cannot let our guard down,” said April Ching, a volunteer with the Hawai’i chapter of Moms Demand Action. “We spent the day at the Capitol today to push for common-sense gun safety policies that close our assault weapons loophole and keep dangerous weapons off our streets, and guns out of the wrong hands. Today we showed the strength of our movement, now the real work begins.” 

Here’s a snapshot of the gun safety legislation Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers are supporting this legislative session: 

• Close the Assault Weapons Loophole (HB 893, Tarnas): Legislation to close a dangerous gap in Hawaiʻi law where current law prohibits assault pistols but not assault weapons that are shotguns or rifles, such as AR-15s. This bill would prohibit high-powered semiautomatic rifles and shotguns with one or more military features that are capable of firing a high number of rounds in a short period of time.

• Prohibit high-capacity magazines 10+ rounds (SB 308, Rhoads): legislation to clarify that high-capacity magazines for use in rifles and shotguns are also prohibited. Hawaii law already prohibits magazines that hold more than 10 rounds and can be used with a pistol.

• Requiring All Firearms to be Safely Stored (HB 125, Tarnas) / SB 862 (Rhoads); HB 136 (Quinlan): legislation to require that firearms be safely stored at home. 

• Create an Office of Gun Violence Prevention (HB 774, Kila / SB 664, Rhoads): legislation to create statewide office to support the state’s gun violence prevention goals at multiple stages – from gun violence data collection that can inform policy making to implementation assessments of existing laws to administering grants for community violence intervention.

Recent polling of registered voters found the overwhelming majority of Hawai’ians support strengthening the state’s gun safety laws. Last year, Everytown for Gun Safety and Ward Research conducted a survey of 695 registered voters in Hawaiʻi (390 from Oʻahu and 305 across the neighbor islands) that found strong bipartisan support for banning the purchase and possession of semiautomatic rifles and high-capacity magazines that exceed 10 rounds. Here’s the toplines of the polling:

• 75% of registered voters believe people should not be allowed to purchase or own military-style semiautomatic rifles like AR-15s – a whopping 52-point advantage compared to those who oppose such a policy. 

• 80% of respondents think high-capacity magazines that exceed 10 rounds should be banned.

• Gun owners are largely aligned with the rest of the electorate and agree with these measures: 61% say semiautomatic rifles should not be available for purchase or ownership, while 65% think high-capacity magazines over 10 rounds should not be legal to buy.

• These proposals have bipartisan backing. A majority of self-identified Republicans in Hawaiʻi say semiautomatic rifles should be restricted (53%) as well as high-capacity magazines (55%).

You can read the full polling memo here. 

Hawai’i has one of the lowest rates of gun deaths—and among the strongest gun laws—in the country. In an average year, 64 people die by guns. With a rate of 4.4 deaths per 100,000 people, Hawai’i has the 2nd-lowest rate of gun deaths in the US. Gun violence costs Hawaii $901.4 million each year, of which $19.0 million is paid by taxpayers. More information on gun violence in Hawai’i is available here.