STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1227

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 125

H.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 125, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FIREARMS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Require retail sellers or transferers of firearms to provide purchasers with notice regarding the law on firearms storage;

(2) Expand the requirements for the secure storage of firearms; and

(3) Clarify the offense of criminally negligent storage of a firearm.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Law Enforcement, Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, Everytown for Gun Safety, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America Hawaiʻi Chapter, Students Demand Action for Gun Sense in America Hawaiʻi Chapter, Gun Owners for Safety, Vet Voice Foundation, Brady Hawaii, Keiki Injury Prevention Coalition, League of Women Voters of Hawaii, Hawaiʻi Public Health Association, Giffords, and twenty-nine individuals.

Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Office of the Public Defender, Puʻuloa Rifle and Pistol Club, Hawaii Patriot Republicans, Libertarian Party of Hawaii, and numerous individuals.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from one individual.

Your Committee finds that proper storage of firearms is a crucial component of responsible gun ownership and helps to prevent tragic accidents, theft, and misuse. There is a large body of academic research showing that laws requiring secure storage of firearms are associated with significant reductions in rates of suicide and unintentional firearms deaths and injuries among children and teens. Secure storage laws do not prevent individuals from owning and using firearms; they simply ensure that ownership and use of deadly weapons are conducted in a manner to minimize unintended harm.

Your Committee further finds that requiring firearms to be securely stored in the State does not infringe upon an individual's Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms in the home. Firearms ownership comes with a responsibility to ensure that lethal weapons are not readily accessible to minors and other individuals who either cannot yet responsibly handle firearms themselves or who are at risk of harming themselves or others. Securing firearms within the home is compatible with a firearm owner's ability to protect the home, and there is a wide range of firearm storage options available on the market that are affordable and enable the owner of the gun to access it quickly if necessary. Accordingly, this measure will promote safety and prevent completely avoidable tragedies in the State.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 125, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Judiciary.

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

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BRANDON J.C. ELEFANTE, Chair