Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 1601 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to prohibit improvised devices designed or intended to be used as firearms.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Honolulu Police Department. Testimony in opposition was received from the Hawaii Citizens' Rights PAC and Hawaii Rifle Association. The Public Defender submitted comments.

Current law does not cover the unlawful manufacture, sale, barter, trade, gift, transfer, or acquisition of an improvised device used as a firearm. The intended object of this measure is the zip gun. Your Committee finds that zip guns pose a serious threat to the health and safety of police officers, citizens, and the community. Improvised firearms are virtually untraceable, have no serial numbers, and can easily be disassembled and the parts discarded, leaving little chance of it being identified as a firearm or even found or detected.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

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. 1601, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1601, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.