STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1723

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.C.R. No. 55

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 55 entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE ATTORNEY GENERAL TO REVIEW GUN AMNESTY PROGRAMS IN OTHER STATES AND THEIR POTENTIAL APPLICABILITY IN THIS STATE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Attorney General to review gun amnesty programs in other states and their potential applicability in Hawaii.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from one individual.

     Your Committee finds that illegal firearms pose a serious danger to the health, safety, and welfare of the public.  To combat the proliferation of illegal firearms, some jurisdictions have implemented gun amnesty programs that allow individuals to surrender firearms to police for compensation, without the risk of questioning, arrest, or prosecution.  Reports indicate that under these types of gun amnesty programs, the surrendered firearms were often firearms that were illegally obtained or lost by the legal owner.  Your Committee finds that a gun amnesty program modeled after programs of other jurisdictions would provide a means of removing illegal and dangerous firearms from the streets.

Accordingly, this measure requests the Attorney General to:

     (1)  Review gun amnesty programs in other states and assess their potential applicability in Hawaii;

     (2)  Confer with the Chief of Police of each county to identify potential barriers to implementation of a gun amnesty program in the State; and

     (3)  Submit a report of any findings and recommendations to the Legislature prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2018.

     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 concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 55, and recommends its adoption.

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

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CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair