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Gun re-registration
plan misfires

Lawmakers said it was not
workable and that police told
them it would put a strain
on manpower

By Richard Borreca
Star-Bulletin

In a move that shocked gun-control supporters, the state Legislature last night abandoned plans to require gun owners to re-register their weapons.

Legislators said the plan was not workable, adding that the police told them it would be a "strain on their manpower."

It pleased pro-gun supporters who had said the plan to have gun owners register their arms on a regular basis was impractical and wouldn't work.

The action last night is a blow to Gov. Ben Cayetano, who had supported a strict gun re-registration bill this year.

"I'm surprised, based on what I saw in the House and Senate drafts, this is new," said Eric Tash, who is director of the Health Department's injury prevention program.

At the beginning of the legislative session, House and Senate leaders had indicated that they would tighten gun control laws after seven men were gunned down in their office at Xerox Corp. The man charged with the murders, Bryan Uyesugi, had 18 guns, including 11 handguns, five rifles and two shotguns.

The House and Senate both approved similar bills that would have required the regular registration of guns and also control the sale of ammunition by allowing it to be sold only to registered gun owners.

Sen. Matt Matsunaga, Judiciary Committee co-chairman, said in February that "the public consistently says it wants stronger gun laws and I support it."

When the Senate approved its version of the bill it said "re-registration provides a mechanism for the police to ensure that legal owners are still in possession of their registered firearms ... and check the status of firearm owners, especially the mental health history of the individuals."

The House version of the bill said the "community goal of creating a safe environment for all citizens of the state will be furthered by periodic inquiry into the mental health histories and criminal records of registered gun owners."

The Senate bill was supported by the Honolulu police department, the prosecutor's office, the state attorney general, Hawaii women lawyers and the League of Women Voters.

The Senate bill was opposed by the Hawaii Rifle Association, the National Rifle Association, Security Equipment Corp. and the Libertarian Party.

Last night, Matsunaga and Co-Chairman Avery Chumbley said they wanted only to "tighten up existing laws" and proposed a task force spend several years studying the problem.

Asked if he thought the Legislature had changed its position, Matsunaga said "it is probably a softer stance."

Judiciary Committee members also agreed to the new position.

Chumbley argued that no state has passed a re-registration law because it is so difficult to accomplish without forcing gun owners under the continued scrutiny of the police.

"If you do re-registration you will have to impinge on people's private rights," Chumbley said.

But Frank Kuhl, with the Hawaii Firearms Coalition and the Bell Campaign, said Hawaii missed a big opportunity when the House and Senate dropped registration.

"It was an important component; it was the major part of the bill," Kuhl said.

"I was disappointed, I had been hopeful," he said.

Kuhl added that he didn't see the need for a task force, something that gun supporters such as Dr. Max Cooper, vice president of the Hawaii Rifle Association, agreed with.

Although he was on the other side of the issue, Cooper also said the task force or study commission wasn't needed.

Cooper argues that Hawaii's gun control laws are already the strictest in the nation and more laws are not needed.

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