VICTORY FOR GUN SAFETY:  Following Advocacy by Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action, Hawaiʻi Legislature Passes Measure to Strengthen Concealed Carry Laws 

Since the beginning of the legislative session, Moms Demand Action and Student Demand Action volunteers have been on the forefront of advocating for the passage of this bill, testifying and sending over 200 actions to lawmakers. 

HONOLULU —  Hawaiʻi Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, released the following statement after House lawmakers voted to pass common-sense gun safety legislation. SB 1230, which strengthens the state’s concealed carry laws following the Supreme Court’s reckless decision in Bruen, may go to a conference committee before going to Governor Josh Green’s desk to be signed. 

“This bill has a clear goal – to keep the people of Hawaiʻi safe from the threat of gun violence,” said April Ching, a volunteer with the Hawaiʻi Chapter of Moms Demand Action. “The Supreme Court’s Bruen decision opened up the floodgates for more people to carry more guns all around Hawaiʻi, including in places we can all agree they shouldn’t be — like playgrounds, local businesses and the zoo. We are proud to stand with our gun sense champions at the legislature and look forward to this becoming law.” 

This critical legislation would update and strengthen the portions of Hawaiʻi’s concealed carry permit law that were weakened by the Bruen decision. It would require that people carrying guns in public receive sufficient training, and ensure law enforcement can deny public carry permits to people who pose a heightened public safety risk based on objective and uniform criteria. Finally, it would address the potential dangers posed by an increased number of people carrying concealed firearms in the state, including by defining sensitive locations where guns aren’t allowed, such as schools, playgrounds, public transit and establishments that serve alcohol.

Last month, Everytown for Gun Safety unveiled polling that found that the vast majority of respondents, including gun owners, support stricter rules on who is eligible for a permit to carry a gun outside the home –  75% of Hawaiʻi residents support prohibiting guns in businesses open to the public like restaurants, hotels and shopping malls, and crowded venues like stadiums and concert halls. 

Hawaiʻi has some of the strongest gun laws in the country, and with a rate of 4.2 deaths per 100,000 people, has the 2nd-lowest rate of gun deaths in the US, in large part due to  its common-sense gun safety policies.  In an average year, 61 people die by guns.. Each year, gun violence costs Hawaiʻi $901.4 million, $19 million of which is paid by taxpayers. More information about gun violence in Hawaiʻi is available here. 

If you have questions, or to request an interview with a volunteer from Hawaiʻi Moms Demand Action about advocacy and gun violence prevention in the state, please reach out to [email protected].