HONOLULU (AP) – Megan Kau occasionally makes week-long hunting trips to the Hawaiian island of Lanai, where she enjoys watching the sunrise and hearing the distant rustling of deer and mouflon sheep in the tropical wilderness, with a rifle ready.
As a gun owner, she also goes to the shooting range several times a year. These outings are the only times a lawyer and a local Oahu resident see others with guns in this tourist mecca, where strict laws make it difficult to buy firearms and restrict the carrying of loaded weapons in public places.
A ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday overturning the Hidden Weapons Act in New York is likely to change things in Hawaii, where it is now very unusual to see people carrying loaded weapons in public.
Some say the change will lead to more gun violence in a country that traditionally sees very little. In 2020, Hawaii has the lowest rate of firearms deaths in the country, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We accept culturally, we accept racially,” Cow said. “But within our culture, we are fighters. We have a passion. ”
This passion can escalate into physical quarrels, which are usually done “up and up” – local slang for fist fights.
“If you were born and raised here, you get into a fist fight, you don’t expect to have a weapon,” Kau said.
Chris Marvin, a Hawaiian from the Everytown for Gun Safety weapons control group, said road rage, surf clashes and other confrontations are part of Hawaii life and are rarely fatal. He worries that this will change.
“When you bring in weapons, it’s so often death right away,” he said. “Weapons and aloha don’t mix.”
Under current law, Hawaii County Police Chiefs have the right to determine whether to issue a permit to carry. Without such permission, people in Hawaii have the right to keep firearms only at home and can transport them – unloaded and locked – to shooting ranges, hunting areas and other restricted areas, such as for repairs.
The Supreme Court ruling said local authorities could not require licensees to carry weapons in public to demonstrate a specific need, such as a direct threat to their safety. Hawaii and California are among the states with such a requirement.
Hawaiian police chiefs have issued only four permits to carry in the past 22 years, said attorney Alan Beck, who represents George Young, a man from the Big Island who says he can carry a self-defense weapon.
“It’s a huge deal,” Beck said of the decision. “This not only means that Mr. Young’s case will prevail, but it also means that the door is open to challenge many aspects of Hawaii’s firearms law.”
Government officials are determining what effect the court’s decision could have on Hawaii, said Gov. David Age. However, some believe they know the end result.
“Eventually, Hawaii is on the verge of becoming a more dangerous place,” said Senator Carl Rhodes. “Hawaii will move from a place where the right to wear in public is an exception to a place where the lack of the right to wear on the street is an exception.
The Supreme Court’s ruling does allow local authorities to impose certain rules restricting who may have permits to carry and where weapons can be banned, such as parks, stadiums and other places where people gather.
Hawaiian lawmakers will consider adding additional background reviews, training regulations and legislative ways to keep guns out of certain public places, State Sen. Chris Lee said.
There are already training requirements for handling weapons to obtain firearms, “but carrying something in a public place is a whole different matter,” Lee said, so he would like to see mandatory training on how to de-escalate conflict and enhanced training. for law enforcement agencies in dealing with situations in which people are armed.
He would also like to see restrictions on bringing weapons to public meetings on emotionally charged issues.
Denise Abby Conan, dean of the College of Social Sciences at the University of Hawaii in Manoa and a member of the U.S. Commission on Combating Fire Violence and Violent Crime, said guns in public places like beaches and hiking trails could damage Hawaii’s reputation as safe. tourist destination.
“I think a lot of our visitors come from countries where gun laws are pretty strict,” she said.
At least one couple who visited Waikiki on Thursday said weaker restrictions would not prevent them from returning.
Rebecca Donahue said she and her husband hid carrying permits where they live in Titusville, Florida. “I think Hawaii is very calm and peaceful from what we saw,” she said.
The Hawaiian tourism administration declined to comment on the court’s ruling and any possible impact on tourism, the economic engine that drives the state’s economy.
Kainoa Kaku, president of the Hawaiian Arms Association, said the decision would help ensure law-abiding people can carry guns – “boys like me who put a lot of time and effort into training and honing my craft so I can to protect my family and even my community as a whole, if necessary. ”
Joseph Robello, who uses a pistol and rifle to hunt pigs, said he did not expect Hawaii to become the Wild West.
“Most people won’t just wear it to carry it around, carry it on their thigh and walk to the store to say, ‘I have a gun and I can use it,'” he said. “That’s stupid. Funny. ”
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Freelance journalist Marco Garcia contributed to this report.
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