Honolulu City Council Passes Ban On Guns In Sensitive Places
Mayor Rick Blangiardi is expected to sign it.
The Honolulu City Council passed a bill Wednesday that would ban guns from sensitive places, like schools and hospitals, and the mayor appears poised to sign it.
A U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year relaxed gun laws, making it easier for people to carry concealed handguns in public. The Honolulu Police Department has approved 41 of 582 concealed carry applications as of yesterday, HPD spokesperson Michelle Yu said.
Bill 57 would ban carrying firearms in the following places: city-, state-, and federally owned buildings, hospitals, schools and child care facilities, parks, homeless and domestic violence shelters, “places frequented by children,” like the aquarium, polling places, public transportation, businesses serving alcohol, large public gathering, like protests, concerts and marijuana dispensaries.
The bill would also require that anyone carrying a gun who interacts with a police officer tell the officer and present their license.
If Mayor Rick Blangiardi signs the bill, it would take effect May 1, a council press release said. The mayor has 10 business days to sign.
Blangiardi intends to sign the bill, according to his spokesperson Ian Scheuring, but he could not say when.
Wednesday’s vote was split, with council members Andria Tupola, Val Okimoto and Augie Tulba voting against it and the other six members supporting it.
鈥淗awaii historically has had low rates of gun violence, and we need to keep it that way,鈥 council member Tyler Dos Santos-Tam said in the council press release. “Bill 57 is a step toward keeping our island home safe from the violence and tragedies we see on the mainland.鈥
“While the Legislature is at its halfway mark in Session, we cannot wait for them to act,” Waters said in the press release. “There is no certainty that any State bills will pass, and even if one does, the counties are still able to legislate to protect their residents.”
The Hawaii County Council approved a similar ordinance in November.
Okimoto opposed the bill because of its potential cost to taxpayers and the question of enforcing it.
“The bill is a government overreach,” Okimoto said, explaining that it might easily be challenged. Banning concealed carry in schools and hospitals was okay with her, she said, but other areas, like sidewalks, would be difficult to enforce. “It’s so far-reaching we’re opening up ourselves to a lawsuit,” she said.
Update: This story has been updated to include comment from council member Okimoto.
