Victory for Gun Safety: After Testimony and Advocacy from Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action Volunteers, Lawmakers Reject Dangerous Shoot First Legislation
3.9.2022
You will be redirected momentarily.
We're in this together. Help us continue our fight to end gun violence.
Donate3.9.2022
The Hawaii chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots networks, released the following statement after the House declined to advance HB 2464, dangerous Shoot First legislation that essentially makes murder legal – letting people use deadly force as the first option rather than the last, even when they can clearly and safely walk away. This session, volunteers and supporters have sent over 1,000 emails and made nearly 40 calls opposing Shoot First legislation.
“For the second year in a row, we have beat back Shoot First in Hawaii,” said Erica Yamauchi, a volunteer with the Hawaii chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Hawaii has some of the lowest rates of gun violence in our country and that’s in large part due to our strong gun safety laws. Passing laws that are proven bring more gun violence doesn’t make logical sense. We are grateful to our lawmakers for seeing this legislation for what it is – disgusting and reckless.”
New research from The Journal of the American Medical Association shows Shoot First laws have resulted in 700 additional gun deaths every year. Shoot First laws are part of the gun lobby’s decades-long narrative that everyone should live in a fear-based society, and that anyone should have the right to carry and use a gun anywhere, anytime, with no questions asked. But taking a life should always be a last resort—not the first.
Statistics about gun violence in Hawaii are available here, and more information about secure storage devices is available here. Everytown’s interactive gun law platform — which shows the direct correlation between the strength of a state’s gun laws and its rate of gun deaths — is available here. If you have questions or want to request an interview with a volunteer from Hawaii Moms Demand Action and/or Students Demand Action, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Did you know?
Every day, more than 120 people in the United States are killed with guns, twice as many are shot and wounded, and countless others are impacted by acts of gun violence.
Everytown Research analysis of CDC, WONDER, Underlying Cause of Death, 2018–2022; Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) nonfatal firearm injury data, 2020; and SurveyUSA Market Research Study #26602, 2022.
Last updated: 5.7.2024
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional | 11 months | The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". |
viewed_cookie_policy | 11 months | The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data. |