I was asking the boys at the window if anyone wanted to buy their's back and sell it to a law abiding, permit holding civilian and that's when I first heard No Mas.

Gun owners supported Caldwell in the election. Everyone should send him a message about how insulting it was to insinuate that selling those surplus guns to law-abiding citizens, vetted through one of the most strict and controlled handgun acquisition process in the nation, would result in them "ending up on the street" being used in criminal activity.

Here's the Mayor's website address: https://www.honolulu.gov/mayor/contactthemayor.html

Thanks HiCarry!   

Just sent this:

I just read on HNN's site that HPD plans to destroy 2,300 service pistols that were replaced with newer pistols.  And, what I find more appalling that wasting over $500,000.00 of tax payer money was the statement released by HPD that since Smith & Wesson did not buy them back "“The only remaining option is to destroy the guns so they don’t end up on the street.”  What does that say about HPD's thoughts on law abiding citizens that have been vetted by very stringent firearms laws?  Please reconsider this waste of our money.


I seriously cannot wait until I retire so I can move to a more reasonable state.  I love Hawaii, but the governments . . . .

The old Smith's?  They should destroy them (GZ hates those pistols).

...
Actually, I never cared much for them either. All the samples I tried did not shoot very accurately.
But for some strange reason, the mini versions shot really well.
That is why I bought a 3913.
...
Someone drew a comparison with the used hpd patrol cars.
They sell the old cars to the public.
IMHO, Those cars are just as likely to injure somebody as any used hpd gun.

...
Actually, I never cared much for them either. All the samples I tried did not shoot very accurately.
But for some strange reason, the mini versions shot really well.
That is why I bought a 3913.
...
Someone drew a comparison with the used hpd patrol cars.
They sell the old cars to the public.
IMHO, Those cars are just as likely to injure somebody as any used hpd gun.

More likely even. Way more deaths from cars in hawaii than guns.

Thanks HiCarry!   

Just sent this:

I just read on HNN's site that HPD plans to destroy 2,300 service pistols that were replaced with newer pistols.  And, what I find more appalling that wasting over $500,000.00 of tax payer money was the statement released by HPD that since Smith & Wesson did not buy them back "“The only remaining option is to destroy the guns so they don’t end up on the street.”  What does that say about HPD's thoughts on law abiding citizens that have been vetted by very stringent firearms laws?  Please reconsider this waste of our money.


I seriously cannot wait until I retire so I can move to a more reasonable state.  I love Hawaii, but the governments . . . .

Just posted a related thread in the Legal and Activism section. Both HRA and LIFE have written a letter to the Mayor and are requesting others do the same via postings on our respective Facebook pages and websites. Here's the letter we sent the Mayor:

Mayor Caldwell,

After viewing the story on KGMB about HPD wanting to destroy $500,000.00 worth of fully functional guns rather than recoup some revenue on them, we at Lessons in Firearms Education (LIFE) and the Hawaii Rifle Association (HRA) were quite dismayed. In these times of lean budgets and continual cost cutting to needed city services, to throw away a half million dollars seems senseless.

The reason your office and HPD gave for not selling to the public seemed to be a slight on those legal gun owners who would have purchased them and who supported you during your election. You should be ashamed for suggesting that the good citizens of Hawaii cannot be trusted with buying HPD’s surplus guns for fear of them falling into criminal hands when record numbers of firearms have been bought by those same citizens for the last 10 years without any such problems.

To claim that selling these guns was going to "put them on the streets" as if to infer they were destined to fall into the hands of criminals seems a bit irrational and alarmist considering the rigorous processes that are currently place for the sole purpose of preventing that type of diversion and that law abiding citizens go thorough each and every time they purchase handguns. In conformity with Hawaii law, HPD’s surplus firearms could only be sold using this process, which includes mandatory training, a background check, and a 14 day waiting period.

We at LIFE and HRA offer our assistance in finding a way to sell these fully functional guns to responsible gun owners.

We at LIFE and HRA respectfully request the decision to destroy these fully functional guns be reversed. 

Bill Richter, President
Lessons in Firearms Education.

Harvey Gerwig, President
Hawaii Rifle Association 

Sickens me after I read it - not about the waste but the blanket statement that the guns will end up on the street. Seems as though all citizens with guns are criminals.

My letter:

Dear Mayor Caldwell.
I am writing to express extreme dissatisfaction with your decision to destroy HPD's retired firearms.  You are simultaneously discarding a needed revenue source, ignoring statistics and facts, expressing a lack of confidence in Hawaii's already-restrictive laws, and offending the gun-owning constituency that helped to elect you.  Myriad police departments nationwide have conducted sales of retired firearms; none have ever reported a subsequent jump in violence.  Doubtless many of the models already successfully used could be adopted under Hawaii law.

To claim that selling these guns was going to "put them on the streets" as if to infer they were destined to fall into the hands of criminals

You know I'm a stickler for details... Mayor Caldwell implied, you inferred.  Is it too late to catch that?

...
Actually, I never cared much for them either. All the samples I tried did not shoot very accurately.
But for some strange reason, the mini versions shot really well.
That is why I bought a 3913.
...
Someone drew a comparison with the used hpd patrol cars.
They sell the old cars to the public.
IMHO, Those cars are just as likely to injure somebody as any used hpd gun.

I would argue the cars are more likely to affect the public than the pistols.

You know I'm a stickler for details... Mayor Caldwell implied, you inferred.  Is it too late to catch that?

Yep, too late...but good catch. Thanks Tom

didnt this story come out a year ago? 

we already knew Kealoha and Caldwell didnt respect our rights.  i dont think anyone should be surprised.  they're just pushing an agenda here.

I would argue the cars are more likely to affect the public than the pistols.

given our murder rates, i dont think it's an argument, its a fact.

funny story, when i registered the 5906 at hpd one of the officers asked me why i wanted a used 5906 knowing that at the time they were converting to glocks (this was at least 2 years ago).
i said i liked the heavy construction and 90s design and looks, plus i grew up with 90s action movies, s&w semi-autos were the choice of 90s movie cop characters.

then he proceeded to show me his s&w 3900 and jokingly offered to sell it to me

but he musta thought it was hilarious i went through the lengths to get a specific pistol shipped to hawaii and lo and behold they got about 2500 of em ready to be incinerated...

Ironic. The sheriff and dept. of corrections are getting a major credit for selling their S&W semi-autos and revolvers back to the company selling them their new Sigs.

http://www.staradvertiser.com/newspremium/20150807_agency_to_change_duty_weapons.html?id=321011651

Ironic. The sheriff and dept. of corrections are getting a major credit for selling their S&W semi-autos and revolvers back to the company selling them their new Sigs.

http://www.staradvertiser.com/newspremium/20150807_agency_to_change_duty_weapons.html?id=321011651

i thought that most LE deals from glock/s&w included trade-in credit to entice the departments to switch
i wonder why the HPD deal didn't involve a trade in

i thought that most LE deals from glock/s&w included trade-in credit to entice the departments to switch
i wonder why the HPD deal didn't involve a trade in

Why?! That makes too much sense.
Govt.'s solution to problems is to throw money and/or personnel

Why didn't HPD just go with M&P pistols instead?  According to the news station I watched, it stated something to the effect, S&W didn't give a credit for the pistols because HPD chose to go with another brand.  Or what they could have done prior to the large purchase was to write in the contract, to take in the current stock of pistols in for credit.  Even if it is half for what it is worth retail.  $5 in the hand is way better than having something that costs $10 in your hand, but in this case it seems it will be just tossed into the scrap metal bin.

What we have here is a city council who approved a $$Million+ expenditure proposal from the police chief without either side understanding the details.

Even as the news stated a year ago, no one had any idea what options were feasible for disposing of the current pistols.  The new Glocks were already being issued, yet the city was far from deciding on what to do with  the current sidearms.

http://khon2.com/2014/06/26/hpd-replacing-thousands-of-guns-old-guns-in-limbo/

The city should have never approved the new Glock purchases without a solid plan on how to get rid of the S&W pistols.  Had the police and city council exercised due diligence instead of laziness, maybe there would be a more cost effective weapon being purchased, like the S&W M&P, as the replacement versus Glocks?  Turning in the old S&W pistols would have then been a potential solution.

So, our elected and appointed "leaders" made a decision without bothering to work out the details, and now they've painted themselves into a corner with few options.  Sell to the public (HORRORS!)?  Melt for scrap?  Let them rust in storage?  Donate to Samoa?

This type of continuous mismanagement of public monies is exactly why we are always dealing with H-3, rail, property tax, hurricane fund, sewer system deterioration, Board of Education and a host of other city and state budget issues.

"so they won't end up on the streets of Honolulu"  what, were they going to sell them in some alley down Chinatown?  psst hey you wanna' buy a piece cheap?  mocking their own gun registration schemes and officers too.  but gotta' get the talking point out there. 
just ridiculous.