STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2265

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2938

       S.D. 1

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 2938 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FIREARMS REGISTRATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to create a more efficient firearms registration process for firearm owners and registration officials by requiring each county to establish an online firearms registration process, to be implemented by July 1, 2015.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Rifle Association; Babooze Bowstrings; and twenty-eight individuals.  Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Honolulu Police Department; County of Hawaii Police Department; and seven individuals.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from one individual.

     Your Committee finds that the current firearms registration process is inefficient, requiring several visits to county police stations, wasting time and money.  The establishment of an online firearms registration process will streamline the registration process.  However, your Committee learned through testimony that this measure would create the need for a separate system and interface, as each county has its own individual system; require a stand-alone system for the Honolulu Police Department; and require funding.

     Therefore, your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Eliminating the requirement that each county establish an online firearms registration process;

     (2)  Adding language to require the Department of the Attorney General, in collaboration with the county police departments, to establish a statewide online firearms registration process;

     (3)  Adding language requiring the Department of the Attorney General and the county police departments to work together to create and implement a statewide online firearms registration process by July 1, 2015;

     (4)  Appropriating funds to establish and implement a statewide online firearms registration system, to be expended by the Department of the Attorney General;

     (5)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2014; and

     (6)  Making technical nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2938, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2938, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs,

____________________________

WILL ESPERO, Chair