STAND. COM. REP. NO. 817

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 600

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 600 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FIREARMS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to require an individual to be at least twenty-one years old to bring a firearm into the State.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the County of Hawai‘i Mayor's Office, O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, and one individual. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Institute for Rational and Evidence-based Legislation, Hawaii Rifle Association, Rook Customs/RookWorx, Hawaii Firearms Coalition, National Rifle Association of America, Hawaii Cattlemen's Council, and 383 individuals.

Your Committee finds that state law restricts gun ownership to twenty-one years old for those obtaining a firearm in the State. However, this law has a loophole that allows Hawaii residents and non-residents to bring a firearm to Hawaii from outside the State and register that firearm without the requirement of being at least twenty-one years old. Your Committee further finds that setting a uniform minimum age for gun ownership in the State, regardless of where the firearm originated from, is in the best public safety interests of the State.

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. 600 and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

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

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KARL RHOADS, Chair