Even if 90% of those they “represent “ was against their viewpoint, they are going to vote the way they want because they feel they know what is “good” for us and we are too stupid to know any better. 

Tom Brower response:

Thank you for expressing your concerns about House Bill 25 (guns in hotel rooms). Link: https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=25&year=2019

To summarize your concerns, your emails stated that this bill would infringe on your 2nd amendment rights and your ability to protect yourselves in your hotel rooms, it would be difficult to enforce, and it wouldn't be effective because criminals do not follow laws. You were concerned about how it would affect people flying in from neighbor islands to hunt, travelling law enforcement from other states, retired law enforcement, participants of gun competitions, firearms instructors, armed guards, flight attendants, and the temporarily un-homed (due to renovations, construction, fumigation, etc.).

I introduced this public safety measure to prohibit people from storing, keeping, carrying or possessing any firearm or ammunition in any hotel room assigned to a guest.

There are exemptions for:

    state and county law enforcement officers
    members of the armed forces
    mail carriers
    regularly enrolled members of any organization duly authorized to purchase or receive weapons from the United States or from the State
    persons employed by the State or United States while in the performance of their respective duties or while going to and from their respective places of duty if those duties require them to be armed
    police officers on official assignment in Hawaii from any state which by compact permits police officers from Hawaii while on official assignment in that state to carry firearms without registration.
    For more information about this last point, please visit: https://ag.hawaii.gov/cjd/files/2013/01/LEOSA-guideline-for-QLEO-926B.pdf

Keep in mind that many bills introduced do not become law. Should this bill get scheduled for a hearing, myself and other legislators will be open to amendments (changes) that could include:

    restrict to counties with a population greater than 500,000 people

    have hotels designate a safe to store firearms. "Safe possession."

Please let me know what you think and if you have additional amendment suggestions.

Some background on why I introduced this bill:

Last year, a local man claiming to be a federal agent was found in a Waikiki hotel room with multiple weapons and ammunition. Had it not been for someone reporting him to the FBI based on his disturbing social media content, this situation could have ended badly. Because the firearms were legally registered and he had not committed a crime, he was not arrested.

(For more information, please read the news stories, below.)

I am concerned that too often, government waits until a tragedy happens before it takes steps to address a situation and I wanted to start a conversation on how we can make Hawaii safe from unnecessary violence.

It is not my intention to prohibit licensed possession; I am advocating for safe possession.

Mahalo,

Tom Brower
State Representative, Waikiki

-----------

Here are two news stories:

KHON, May 2018: Man found with multiple weapons and ammunition in a Waikiki hotel room may not get arrested
https://www.khon2.com/news/local-news/man-found-with-multiple-weapons-and-ammunition-in-a-waikiki-hotel-room-may-not-get-arrested/1179446862

(STORY TEXT)
The man found in a Waikiki hotel room with multiple weapons and ammunition remains in the hospital undergoing an evaluation. The FBI asked the Honolulu Police Department to check on a Honolulu resident after a Facebook private message exchange prompted a friend to contact federal investigators. Sources say the friend told the FBI the man said he was a "federal agent" on a "mission to take out terrorists."

On Thursday, police tracked down the 33-year-old man at the Equus Hotel in Waikiki. Upon entering his hotel room, police discovered multiple guns, knives, nearly 800 rounds of ammunition, and multiple bottles of medication. The firearms were legally registered. The man has not been arrested. According to University of Hawaii at Manoa law professor Ken Lawson, it could stay that way. "What the law is saying is, he hasn't taken a substantial step to commit a crime yet. So he's in lawful possession of his weapons, in a lawful place, it isn't enough to make the arrest. So then the question comes back to: well, what do you have to wait for? To point the gun at somebody, almost pull the trigger, and then arrest him?"

Lawson referenced last year's mass shooting, where Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock shot and killed 58 people from his room at the Mandalay Bay. "We see what happened in Las Vegas. Somebody loads up automatic weapons and points it out the window. It's becoming an all too common an occurrence." The case may be handed to the prosecutor's office. Lawson says it could be a case that centers around the man's claims he is a federal agent sent to "take out terrorists."  "It's really fact sensitive. I think you could argue that, especially in this climate of fear. But I still think legally it's not enough."

HNN, May 2018: Police find large weapons cache in Waikiki raid prompted by disturbing online posts
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/38173826/police-find-large-weapons-cache-in-waikiki-raid-prompted-by-disturbing-online-posts/

(STORY TEXT)
The FBI and Honolulu police are investigating after finding a large cache of loaded weapons during a raid of a Waikiki hotel room that sources say was prompted by disturbing posts on social media. The arsenal included a high-powered rifle, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and an assortment of other weapons. But the man staying in the room wasn't arrested. The FBI notified Honolulu police Thursday about a guest in room 803 at the Equus Hotel, saying he was claiming to be a federal agent in disturbing posts on social media. The 38-year old claimed his mission was to hunt terrorist cells. When police arrived at the Equus on Ala Moana Boulevard, sources say, they found an arsenal:

• An AR-15, and 15 high-capacity magazines — all loaded.

• A shotgun and two handguns.

• A total of more than 800 rounds of ammunition, plus 18 military styles knives and body armor.

The weapons were legally registered to the man, and having them in his room was also legal. "There was no danger," said Mike Dailey, manager at the hotel. "The gentlemen was here. He was a guest staying here. He left and then there was an FBI and police investigation." Sources say that police did find psychiatric medication in the room, allowing them to seize the cache until a mental health evaluation can be completed. He was taken to a hospital for that. "He had a room here and they're looking at the stuff in his room," Dailey said. "I don't know that there are any weapons. I think you'll have to talk to the police about that." The man has been living in Hawaii for about three years in a Makiki apartment, but had only been staying a the hotel for a few days. If he is deemed mentally fit, he could get his weapons back.

Tom Brower was the guy that got into a fight with the homeless guy and smashing up some shopping carts?

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/24003737/lawmaker-hammers-home-his-homeless-solution/

Despite his anti-2a stance, I have called his office for the bums around the Kakaako area (UFC Gym).  And within 1-2 days of me calling, they get cleared out.  But then they come back a month later.  And I call his office again, and once more 1-2 days later, they're removed.

So he does some good stuff.

It's not safe for a girl to park on the street around UFC Gym and walk to and from their cars in sports bra and booty shorts.

*Inb4 you pervs gonna go watch now.

My friend who's a huge black bodybuilder was stabbed by a crazy lady in that area outside the gym with a screwdriver.   So it shows even if you one scary looking mutha, crackhead still gonna mess with you.  She wasn't trying to rob him either, just tripping out.

Tom Brower response:

"Thank you for expressing your concerns about House Bill 25 (guns in hotel rooms). Link: https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=25&year=2019

    To summarize your concerns, your emails stated that this bill would infringe on your 2nd amendment rights and your ability to protect yourselves in your hotel rooms, it would be difficult to enforce, and it wouldn't be effective because criminals do not follow laws. You were concerned about how it would affect people flying in from neighbor islands to hunt, travelling law enforcement from other states, retired law enforcement, participants of gun competitions, firearms instructors, armed guards, flight attendants, and the temporarily un-homed (due to renovations, construction, fumigation, etc.).

    I introduced this public safety measure to prohibit people from storing, keeping, carrying or possessing any firearm or ammunition in any hotel room assigned to a guest.

    There are exemptions for:

        state and county law enforcement officers
        members of the armed forces
        mail carriers
        regularly enrolled members of any organization duly authorized to purchase or receive weapons from the United States or from the State
        persons employed by the State or United States while in the performance of their respective duties or while going to and from their respective places of duty if those duties require them to be armed
        police officers on official assignment in Hawaii from any state which by compact permits police officers from Hawaii while on official assignment in that state to carry firearms without registration.
        For more information about this last point, please visit: https://ag.hawaii.gov/cjd/files/2013/01/LEOSA-guideline-for-QLEO-926B.pdf

    Keep in mind that many bills introduced do not become law. Should this bill get scheduled for a hearing, myself and other legislators will be open to amendments (changes) that could include:

        restrict to counties with a population greater than 500,000 people

        have hotels designate a safe to store firearms. "Safe possession."

    Please let me know what you think and if you have additional amendment suggestions.

    Some background on why I introduced this bill:

    Last year, a local man claiming to be a federal agent was found in a Waikiki hotel room with multiple weapons and ammunition. Had it not been for someone reporting him to the FBI based on his disturbing social media content, this situation could have ended badly. Because the firearms were legally registered and he had not committed a crime, he was not arrested.

    (For more information, please read the news stories, below.)

    I am concerned that too often, government waits until a tragedy happens before it takes steps to address a situation and I wanted to start a conversation on how we can make Hawaii safe from unnecessary violence.

    It is not my intention to prohibit licensed possession; I am advocating for safe possession.

    Mahalo,

    Tom Brower
    State Representative, Waikiki "


Well, in the case of Christopher Deedy this law will have had NO effect on a person killing another person. It justified the killing of a local person by government.

Tom Brower was the guy that got into a fight with the homeless guy and smashing up some shopping carts?

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/24003737/lawmaker-hammers-home-his-homeless-solution/

Where's the ACLU?
I hope he didn't check in a hotel with that dangerous instrument. If those shopping carts were human bodies that would be utter carnage. Fortunately he was a law abiding citizen in possession of a potentially dangerous instrument of destruction and death

Tom Brower response:
    It is not my intention to prohibit licensed possession; I am advocating for safe possession.

I call BS.

First of all, the freakin' bill calls for a ban.  That is very much prohibiting possession.

Second, no one can know what is going to happen in the future.  To presume anyone is more likely to engage in criminal activity rather than others is nothing but guessing.  If there are sny presumptions one is allowed, it is that of innocence.

Last, if the intent was actually for "safe possession", then write the bill that way from the beginning rather than throwing up a bill that isn't written "as intended".

Brower's response didn't address any of our concerns regarding the tent court case, self-defense, hunters, etc.  Just the weak case of having the hotel keep the guns locked up.  Or that hotels can already deal with the problem by bannig firearms or evict/tresspass.