Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Committee advances bill funding outreach and court processing for gun-violence protective orders
Loading...
Summary
The Senate Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs voted to pass House Bill 2,062 with amendments to fund judicial processing of protective orders and public-awareness work by law enforcement; supporters said better use of existing civil orders can prevent suicides and homicides, while opponents raised due-process and enforcement concerns.
The Senate Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs voted to recommend passage of House Bill 2,062 with amendments, approving funding for the judiciary to process temporary restraining orders and gun-violence protective orders and for the Department of Law Enforcement to conduct public-awareness campaigns.
Supporters at the hearing said the measure aims to increase use of Hawaii’s existing civil protective orders to remove firearms temporarily from people who pose an imminent danger. "This is a data driven way to reduce gun violence, and it will simply save lives," said Heather Kimball, testifying for the Hawaii County Council, who recounted a Honolulu Police Department officer who arrived to find "a shotgun in his face" and said the incident could have been prevented by effective implementation of protective orders.
Advocates cited research and local figures to press the case. "According to Gifford's Gun Owners for Safety research, in the United States, more than 125 people die every day from gun violence," said Susan Tremblay. Student advocate Claire Marvin added that "guns are now the leading cause of death for children and teens in America" and noted "40 people in Hawaii die by gun suicide each year."
Opponents pressed constitutional and enforcement concerns. Michael Rice said red-flag laws "are easily abused" and warned enforcement can escalate: "It's gonna happen at the middle of the night. Somebody banging on your door at the middle of night. You're gonna grab a weapon..." He also raised due-process questions, saying the process "is a violation [of] due process, particularly the Fourth Amendment," because parties may not have a full court hearing before a temporary removal of firearms.
A retired officer who identified himself as Tim Hoyk supported the bill, saying in 34 years of policing he "never responded to a single call in which a gun in the hands of a civilian helped the situation" and that better awareness and training could increase appropriate use of protective orders.
Dennis Dunn framed the orders as constitutionally limited tools: "These are civil, limited and include due process protections," he said, urging lawmakers to treat the bill as a preventive public-safety investment.
Chair Fukunaga noted the committee received 60 written testimonies in support, 47 in opposition and one set of comments. After discussion the committee voted to adopt the chair's recommendation to pass HB 2,062 with amendments and to change the defective effective date to July 1, 2055. The clerk recorded the chair and multiple senators voting 'aye'; one senator recorded 'no' and another was excused.
The bill’s amendments are technical and intended to facilitate implementation and outreach; the hearing did not record details of a implementing timetable beyond the amended effective date. The committee’s recommendation moves the bill forward; the next steps are whatever floor scheduling and additional procedural steps the Senate adopts.
