Legislators in Hawaii advanced a bill that would effectively ban new sales on so-called “assault-style” rifles.
SB 401 passed a House-Senate conference committee and now heads to the state legislature for final votes — with a decision coming as early as this week.
The bill was introduced in January and initially only addressed the sale of .50 caliber rifles. After lengthy testimonies on both sides, totaling more than 400 pages of official testimony, the bill was overhauled and revised to include parts of a failed bill, HB 893.
The new revision goes further than .50 cal rifles — also prohibiting the sale of semi-auto rifles with detachable magazines, semi-auto shotguns that hold more than five shells, and handguns with a capacity of over 10 rounds.
If passed, the bill would represent one of the most sweeping gun bans in the U.S.
Hawaii already saw some of the toughest gun laws in the nation, with a semi-automatic pistol ban enacted in 1992. Up until now, rifles were largely outside the purview, but legislators say the time has come for that to change.
“The AR-15 style rifles with the large magazines are the mass murderers’ favorite because you don’t have to reload. You just keep firing. And they do have canisters that will hold up to as many as a hundred rounds,” said Senate Judiciary Chair Karl Rhoads, explaining the need for the ban.
But gun rights activists say the ban targets law-abiding gun owners and doesn’t include provisions for hunting rifles.
“Hawaii’s SB401 — the broadest gun ban in state history — is almost law, “ the Hawaii Firearms Coalition said in a post on social media. “Modern hunting rifles and shotguns are targeted — Hawaii hunters will lose many of their tools.”
Supporters of the bill, though, say it doesn’t quite constitute a ban, as current legally registered rifles will be grandfathered in and can be passed down to family members of the registered owner.
2A advocates pointed out that the public was never allowed to vote on the bill’s new language, and a hearing was never held after the text was changed — something they say was meant to silence residents and prevent dissension.
“The language banning these firearms was never given a single hearing in the Senate. It was added at the last minute by the House — without public testimony or full debate. This means the public was silenced on one of the biggest gun bans in Hawaii history.”
The Hawaii Firearms Coalition said that if the measure passes, they will “100 percent” challenge the law in court.
Hawaii’s legislature is set to vote on it this week, with the vote expected to be very close.
What do you think of the new ban? Let us know in the comments below. For the latest in the gun industry, check out our news category.
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