STAND. COM. REP. NO. 826

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  S.B. No. 592
                                        S.D. 1




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No.
592 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FIREARMS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to modify the exemptions to the
firearms laws given to law enforcement officers, by excluding
those officers who have been convicted of an offense involving
abuse of a family or household member.

     Your Committee finds that existing law allows law
enforcement officers to carry firearms while on duty, even though
an order of protection has been filed against them.  Your
Committee further finds that due to the repetitive and often
escalating nature of domestic violence, victims are exposed to
potentially lethal harm when the abuser has access to a firearm.
Therefore, your Committee believes that any person who has been
convicted of an offense involving domestic abuse should lose the
right to carry a firearm, without regard to the person's
occupation.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the
Honolulu Police Department, the Domestic Violence Clearinghouse
and Legal Hotline, the Child and Family Service, the Hawaii State
Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the Hawaii Rifle
Association, and the Hawaii Citizens' Right Political Action
Committee.


 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 826
                                   Page 2


     Upon further consideration, your Committee has amended this
measure by making a technical, non-substantive change for the
purpose of clarity.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your
Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B.
No. 592, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second
Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 592, S.D. 1, and
be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Judiciary,



                                   ______________________________
                                   AVERY B. CHUMBLEY, Co-Chair



                                   ______________________________
                                   MATTHEW M. MATSUNAGA, Co-Chair

 
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