Senators adopt floor amendment to firearms bill, adding grandfathering and exemptions; amendment passes 13-12

The Senate adopted Floor Amendment No. 15 to Senate Bill 401, the chamber's firearms measure, after a day of debate that split the body largely along urban–neighbor‑island and public‑safety lines.

Senator DeCoite introduced the amendment and said it "does 4 key things." According to her floor statement, the amendment (1) grandfathers lawfully acquired firearms and standard‑capacity magazines obtained before Jan. 1, 2026; (2) allows licensed firearms dealers to continue servicing, repairing, and transferring those grandfathered items; (3) preserves rights for subsistence hunters and conservation workers, calling out Article 12, Section 7 of the Hawaii Constitution; and (4) requires just compensation if the state forces surrender of legally owned firearms or magazines.

"This amendment keeps the public safety goals of the bill intact," DeCoite said, while arguing it preserves tools used by rural landowners and conservation crews to manage invasive species and protect watershed and pasture lands.

Senator Rhodes opposed the amendment on the floor, calling it "a huge carve out for the sale of assault weapons" that would, in his words, "basically eviscerate the underlying bill." Rhodes noted the body had already included limited grandfathering in the draft and pointed to existing law enforcement exemptions and recent legislation addressing ghost guns (Act 18). "The house is very unlikely to pass this amendment," Rhodes warned, saying that adoption here could kill the bill in conference.

Senator Richards seconded DeCoite's motion and urged colleagues to find middle ground between public‑safety goals and preserving tools for agriculture and conservation.

After debate, the clerk conducted a roll‑call vote on the amendment. The clerk announced "13 ayes, 12 no's;" the amendment therefore passed. After the amendment passed, senators moved to separate S.B. 401, C.D. 1 from Conference Committee Report No. 85 and gave the bill 48‑hour notice for final consideration.

Later in the session members discussed the prior roll call and, for clarity and transparency, the clerk ran a second roll call vote on the amendment; the recorded roll call again produced a 13–12 tally in favor. Following subsequent procedural motions, the Senate recommitted S.B. 401 and scheduled it for final floor vote on Friday.

Why it matters: The floor amendment alters the practical effect of S.B. 401 if the amendment survives final action and conference with the House. Supporters said the measure preserves hunting, subsistence, and conservation practices on neighbor islands and prevents disarming licensed dealers who service older equipment. Opponents said the amendment sharply narrows the bill's public‑safety aims and risks killing the measure in the House.

Votes at a glance: The amendment to S.B. 401 (Floor Amendment No. 15) — Motion: adopt; Mover: Senator DeCoite; Second: Senator Richards; Roll‑call result: 13 ayes, 12 no's; Outcome: amendment adopted. The Senate later separated S.B. 401 from the conference report, gave 48‑hour notice and recommitted the bill for final action.

Provenance: The amendment was introduced and debated beginning with the floor segment where Floor Amendment No. 15 was identified and moved (transcript segments starting ~s=2399.94 to ~e=2683.99). The roll‑call vote and clerk's announcement are recorded later in the transcript (segments ~s=3851.72 to ~e=3915.07).