Senate Bill 2954 could be scheduled for third and final read at any time.  It is critical that you click the “Take Action” button below to contact your state Representative TODAY and politely urge them to OPPOSE SB 2954.

Take Action!
https://act.nraila.org/composeletters.aspx?AlertID=160

SB 2954 would expand the existing registration requirement and input law-abiding Hawaii gun owners into a federal biometric database, managed by the FBI, for continuous monitoring.  Positive hits in this system have not necessarily been adjudicated and could cause issues with an individual’s ability to exercise their constitutional rights.  Additionally, this bill could be in violation of your Fourth Amendment rights.  It could also result in a potential fee increase and cost gun owners more than what is already required in Hawaii due to the cost associated with adding individuals into this biometric database.

Once again, please click the “Take Action” button above to contact your state Representative in opposition to this bill!

Contact Your State Representative
http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/members/legislators.aspx?chamber=all

Done, and forwarded to friends and family

Please email or call your representatives today!

The deferral of the bill for 24 hours is our only chance for our representatives to hear from us.  If they don't hear from enough of us, they will be voting on this tomorrow.

Points of concern regarding the bill, per HRA.

Strongly Oppose.  It's similar to HB 2692.
* It enrolls law abiding applicants for firearms permits into a Federal Database to track criminal activity.
*  It violates Federal law, which protects all legal firearms owners from being placed in a Federal firearm owners database.  The law is the "Firearms Owner's Protection Act of 1986".
* No other state in the United States is using this mechanism to track firearms, most likely because they have realized that doing so violates Federal Statutes.
* HPD Major Richard Robinson stated in Senator Nishihara's PSM hearing that the database will include the applicant's name,  identifying demographics, such as birth date and physical characteristics and the category listed will be firearms. This violates the Federal Statute above.
* If passed an additional fee will be charged to each applicant for a firearms permit. The fee indicated is around $50.00.
* If passed this becomes an unfunded mandate on HPD to assign HPD firearms staff to track all of the hits that come in from the Rap Back system and to track them through to dismissal or conviction, a  very time consuming  and unnecessary endeavor.

We need to hit this hard guys.

Done.   

H 4/7/2016: Passed Third Reading with none voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Aquino, Choy, Cullen, DeCoite, Fukumoto Chang, Har, Hashem, Ito, Jordan, Kawakami, Kong, Matsumoto, McKelvey, Morikawa, Pouha, Say, Tokioka, Tsuji, Ward, Yamane, Yamashita voting no (21) and Representative(s) McDermott, Oshiro, Thielen, Tupola excused (4). Transmitted to Senate.   
SB2954 SD2 HD1   Criminal History Record Checks; Police; Permits to Acquire Firearms; Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center; Database Management   
RELATING TO FIREARMS.   Authorizes county police departments to enroll firearms applicants and individuals who are registering their firearms into a criminal record monitoring service used to alert police when an owner of a firearm is arrested for a criminal offense anywhere in the country. Authorizes the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center to access firearm registration data. (SB2954 HD1)

H 4/7/2016: Passed Third Reading with none voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Aquino, Choy, Cullen, DeCoite, Fukumoto Chang, Har, Hashem, Ito, Jordan, Kawakami, Kong, Matsumoto, McKelvey, Morikawa, Pouha, Say, Tokioka, Tsuji, Ward, Yamane, Yamashita voting no (21) and Representative(s) McDermott, Oshiro, Thielen, Tupola excused (4). Transmitted to Senate.   
SB2954 SD2 HD1   Criminal History Record Checks; Police; Permits to Acquire Firearms; Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center; Database Management   
RELATING TO FIREARMS.   Authorizes county police departments to enroll firearms applicants and individuals who are registering their firearms into a criminal record monitoring service used to alert police when an owner of a firearm is arrested for a criminal offense anywhere in the country. Authorizes the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center to access firearm registration data. (SB2954 HD1)

so where does it stand?

so where does it stand?

Transmitted to Senate. 

No floor vote is scheduled at this time. Next week likely.

so where does it stand?

It has a "defective date" (effective 2059) so will end up in conference. No date set yet.

Conference is attended (usually) by the Chairs of those committees that heard the bill.

If your Rep voted yes, you should call them and ask why, and remind them this is an election year....

It has a "defective date" (effective 2059) so will end up in conference. No date set yet.

Conference is attended (usually) by the Chairs of those committees that heard the bill.

If your Rep voted yes, you should call them and ask why, and remind them this is an election year....

I hate how they list the reps who vote, if my representative is not listed that means they voted yes right ?

I hate how they list the reps who vote, if my representative is not listed that means they voted yes right ?

yes. 

I hate how they list the reps who vote, if my representative is not listed that means they voted yes right ?

Unless they were absent/excused, yes.

That being said, I am getting information that the online version of the bill has the defective date which would send it to conference committee....but some legislators are saying their version doesn't have said defective date and therefore could go directly to the Governor for his signature.

Very disappointed at my elected official.  This is his response to my request to vote No on the proposed measures.

Aloha XXXXX:
 
Thank you for informing me of your opposition to SB 2954, which was proposed by the Honolulu Police Department.  I seriously weighed your objections with the arguments advanced by the Police Department and other supporters of the bill.
 
After studying the bill, I decided to support it because I believe it advances public safety in our community.  Currently, the police department has no way of knowing if a firearm owner – once his initial background check is done - is later convicted of domestic violence or a felony crime in another state.  The FBI Rap Back program was instituted to enable police departments to learn whether a current firearm owner is convicted of a crime that disqualifies him from legally possessing firearms.  This program does not violate the federal Firearms Owner's Protection Act of 1986.
 
I hope this explains why, after much deliberation, I decided to support SB 2954.  I hope you will understand the reasons for my decision.
 
Mahalo,
Gregg
 
Representative Gregg Takayama
Dist. 34 (Pearl City, Waimalu, Pacific Palisades)
https://www.facebook.com/reptakayama

Very disappointed at my elected official.  This is his response to my request to vote No on the proposed measures.

Aloha XXXXX:
 
Thank you for informing me of your opposition to SB 2954, which was proposed by the Honolulu Police Department.  I seriously weighed your objections with the arguments advanced by the Police Department and other supporters of the bill.
 
After studying the bill, I decided to support it because I believe it advances public safety in our community.  Currently, the police department has no way of knowing if a firearm owner – once his initial background check is done - is later convicted of domestic violence or a felony crime in another state.  The FBI Rap Back program was instituted to enable police departments to learn whether a current firearm owner is convicted of a crime that disqualifies him from legally possessing firearms.  This program does not violate the federal Firearms Owner's Protection Act of 1986.
 
I hope this explains why, after much deliberation, I decided to support SB 2954.  I hope you will understand the reasons for my decision.
 
Mahalo,
Gregg
 
Representative Gregg Takayama
Dist. 34 (Pearl City, Waimalu, Pacific Palisades)
https://www.facebook.com/reptakayama

The FBI Rap Back program was instituted to enable police departments to learn whether a current firearm owner is convicted of a crime : No it wasent.

 This program does not violate the federal Firearms Owner's Protection Act of 1986. Yes it does

The FBI Rap Back program was instituted to enable police departments to learn whether a current firearm owner is convicted of a crime : No it wasent.

 This program does not violate the federal Firearms Owner's Protection Act of 1986. Yes it does

i have a friend that works at the state ag
his example about how stupid legislators are-

leg- can i make a law like this?
friend- no
leg- why not?
friend- because it's unconstitutional
leg- why not?

I went into my reps office, Sam Kong, to thank him for opposing the bill.  He was nice and talked story.  He still works part time driving a cab to pay the bills.  Gave me a copy if his biography.  He supports 2a but doesn't shoot guns so I invited him to the SSF.

Firearm Owners Protection Act:
"No such rule or regulation prescribed [by the Attorney General] after the date of the enactment of the Firearms Owners Protection Act may require that records required to be maintained under this chapter or any portion of the contents of such records, be recorded at or transferred to a facility owned, managed, or controlled by the United States or any State or any political subdivision thereof, nor that any system of registration of firearms, firearms owners, or firearms transactions or disposition be established. Nothing in this section expands or restricts the Secretary's authority to inquire into the disposition of any firearm in the course of a criminal investigation"

I think ALL of us should respond to Takayama.

I went into my reps office, Sam Kong, to thank him for opposing the bill.  He was nice and talked story.  He still works part time driving a cab to pay the bills.  Gave me a copy if his biography.  He supports 2a but doesn't shoot guns so I invited him to the SSF.

Yes! Sam is one of us. Pretty for real people.
My Rep too. We talk regularly.
Aloha