December 8, 2015
Valerie Richardson
Posted with permission from The Washington Times
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It's hard to complain about living in Hawaii, unless, like Tom Fratinardo, you're a retired police officer trying to obtain
concealed carry authorization under the federal Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act.

Democrats in some deep-blue state have for years made it all but impossible for eligible ex-cops to take advantage
of the 2004 federal law, known as LEOSA, which has been widely praised elsewhere as a boon to public safety.

"There are like 4,000 retired police officers in the state of Hawaii - just think of what a resource this is," said
Mr. Fratinardo, who spent 13 years in the Honolulu Police Department. "Who else would you want to be carrying a
firearm? Especially in the times we're living in right now."

"What LEOSA actually does is it exempts active-duty and retired officers from most state laws regarding
concealed weapons," said David Adler, principal consultant with Gendarme Consulting Group in Philadelphia.
"Virtually every police officer or law enforcement officer in the United States can carry in every jurisdiction, subject
to a few requirements.

"If there's a problem, it's with state implementation of the federal statute," said Mr. Adler, who works on LEOSA issues.

Under the current law, state and local officials who want to circumvent the law can do so simply by doing nothing.
Those eligible to carry must hold valid identification showing that they are authorized to do so, as well as pass a
range test, but LEOSA doesn't require states or local police departments to offer either service.

"This allows agencies hostile to LEOSA to effectively eliminate the ability for their officers to qualify for the privilege,"
said the National Rifle Association in a statement.

James Pasco, executive director of the National Federation of Police, said his group is "constantly working to find
alternative identification media that would cover the situation when it occurs."

"Going way back, Hawaii's not been friendly toward private civilians having independent firearms," Dr. Cooper said.
The current Democratic liberal legislature that we have certainly feels that way in general. They're very reluctant to
pass any pro-gun stuff, and they always introduce a lot of anti-gun stuff."

He said it's especially frustrating for law enforcement. "Those guys should all be carrying. They'd be a tremendous
resource, particularly in these times of terrorism," he said.

That's the view of gun rights advocates and many Republicans, but the reaction from Democrats to the San Bernardino
shooting has been the opposite. President Obama and others have called for more restrictions on firearms in order to
prevent would-be terrorists from gaining access to weapons.

Mr. Fratinardo said he doesn't think that's realistic given the apparently growing reach of Middle East terrorism into
Europe and the United States.

"There are active investigations in every state. ISIS is going after young recruits who aren't in the system," he said, using
an acronym for the Islamic State. "There are cells all over the United States. So who do you want at the mall?
When bullets are flying, wouldn't it be great to have a couple of retired officers there?"

Love the irony in this article.

"There are cells all over the United States. So who do you want at the mall?
When bullets are flying, wouldn't it be great to have a couple of retired officers there?"

Of course, it would be nice to have a couple of retired armed police officers present in the above theoretical event.  However, the article forgot to mention that retired officers are under no legal obligation to uphold the law and/or defend the community.  If they do act in the best interest of the community, then good for everybody.  What is far more optimum is what DL said, where it would be an even better situation if the community is not restricted in their right to conceal carry, provided that the location in-question is not a gun-free-zone.

Kuleana

right. But how about the same right for all. Imagine that resources