Session Preview: Firearm Bills to Watch This Year

This article can serve as a primer on how you can better be informed of matters affecting Shooting Sports in Hawaii and thus participate in such activities safely. Matters affecting Shooting Sports in Hawaii come in bursts, not in a straight line. Thus, it’s best to take your time to think through the implications of any given notice or event and thus seek information that would enable other members to react safely as well. Guidance must help make things clearer, not more convoluted.

While a plan may work well for a club on one island, it will not necessarily work for a club on another island or even for another range on the same island. Factors that need to be taken into account include the distance to facilities and ranges, as well as family members’ busy schedules. And, while we do not wish to decrease standards for shooting sports in Hawaii, we do believe that such standards must be clearly explained and that as much latitude as possible must be given to members in order to enable them to shoot responsibly and safely.

Separate the proposal from the outcome

A bill is not the same as a law. A bill can be amended at any stage of the process. A bill can be held in a committee for months and even years and then die without ever being voted on by the full legislature. It is therefore very important to note the current status of a measure and to record the measure number, the current committee, and the next deadline.

Write from experience and stay specific

If the Association is submitting written testimony, make sure to write it from experience. If possible, keep the language of the testimony respectful because it will be read by many staff members as well as lawmakers and go into record. If you keep it short and explain the real effect on yourself, your family or business, or your club, it will be easier for others to read. The largest impact of phrases listed above is to create the perception of more support than actually exists.

Keep a record for the next session

Legislative work is cumulative, that is, session after session. Therefore, save all written testimony and note all responses to it as well as all questions left unanswered by legislation. Comparing notes among all members of a club helps in informing others as to what went on in prior sessions, in contrast to having to regrettably retrace the same steps that others have previously traveled.

A short checklist for members

• Verify date, location and source prior to distribution.
• Get answers to specific questions.
• Safety. Courteous behavior. The club's local rules.
• Document the information you receive so the information can be used by subsequent club members.
• After someone requests you to take some action in association work, check back with the club/committee/association contact to make sure they received your communication.

Closing note

The quiet work of an association provides the greatest value to its members and clubs: providing good briefings, keeping good records, making good introductions, and having members willing to explain what happened. Such work builds trust over time. The above ideas can be a good starting point but members would be well-advised to apply them as appropriate to their own club, household or island with the remember to always choose the most conservative course of action.

What this article adds

This article serves as a primer for several of the bills affecting lawful firearm owners, shooting clubs and ranges expected to be considered in the upcoming session. The source note below is used as a starting point and then additional context provided to make the most useful association resource out of it. Members should read this article in conjunction with other material including current notices and information from their local clubs and ranges as well as other association resources.

Look for a simple explanation of bills proposed in the current legislative session to affect firearm owners and shooting sports clubs and ranges. Every legislative session the Hawaii Rifle Association reviews each bill relating to lawful ownership of firearms and related activities such as shooting sports and safety education for hunters. Some bills are of more interest than others and below is a summary of the important ones currently before the legislature. Range access, how clubs are scheduled to use their shooting facilities is a very important issue to the Association and we support the formalization of procedures currently practiced at state managed shooting facilities with the addition of club input to any oversight structure. Continuing dedicated funding for hunter safety and marksmanship education for youth is crucial to maintain current course materials for each discipline. Household storage of firearms and inter-island transport of firearms by lawful owners will be reviewed for clear language to guarantee compliance by owners who adhere to the laws relating to firearms. Members can participate by submitting written public testimony for all bills of interest to them. A hearing notice will be posted on this website as soon as announced by the legislature and the Hawaii Rifle Association will provide simple instructions for submitting written testimony in a timely manner.