STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2312

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2960

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 2960 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL HISTORY RECORD CHECKS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to allow county police departments to enroll firearms applicants who were granted a permit to be included in the federal rap back program, which will provide a mechanism to alert the county police department when the owner of a firearm is arrested for a criminal offense anywhere in the country.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Honolulu Police Department.  Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Hawaii Rifle Association, National Rifle Association, and four individuals.

     Your Committee finds that criminal history record checks for applicants to acquire firearms are critical to ensure the safety of the community.  Under existing law, a thorough background check is conducted on all applicants to acquire a firearm.  Once a permit has been issued, no further checks are conducted on the firearm owner.  As a result, county police departments have no way to know if a current Hawaii firearm owner has been convicted of a crime in another state that would prohibit that person from owning a firearm.

     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. 2960 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary and Labor.

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

________________________________

CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair