WHEREAS, the concealed carry of a loaded handgun with a permit is legal in the State of Hawaii and in all fifty states, and each state has its own standards for who may carry a firearm in public; and

WHEREAS, the State of Hawaii has allowed the concealed carry of firearms and has always applied its own standards, including authorizing issuers to deny permits to people who lack good moral character or good moral cause to carry concealed handguns; and

WHEREAS, while the State of Hawaii requires safety training for every concealed carry permit applicant, nineteen states allow concealed carry by people who have never had safety training; and

WHEREAS, unlike the State of Hawaii, twenty-five states do not allow issuers to deny concealed carry by people with dangerous warning signs, such as a history of domestic disturbances or mental health concerns; and

WHEREAS, while the State of Hawaii blocks anyone with a felony stalking conviction from attaining a concealed carry permit, twenty-two states allow concealed carry by some convicted stalkers; and

WHEREAS, while the State of Hawaii blocks concealed carry by abusive domestic partners subject to restraining orders, fifteen states allow concealed carry by some of these abusers or individuals with domestic violence convictions; and

WHEREAS, "concealed carry reciprocity" would force the State to allow any of these individuals – people with no firearm safety training, people with dangerous histories, people with violent misdemeanor records, convicted stalkers, and abusive domestic partners - to carry concealed handguns in public; and

WHEREAS, twelve states do not require any permit, training, or criminal history check to carry a concealed firearm in public, including eight states that have repealed their permit requirement in the past three years; and

WHEREAS, the State of Hawaii attracts visitors from the remaining forty-nine states and Washington, D.C., in addition to visitors traveling from around the world; and

WHEREAS, "concealed carry reciprocity" would force the State to accept lesser standards and allow certain people to carry concealed guns throughout the State; and

WHEREAS, public safety decisions are often conducted on the local level, and each state has always retained its own authority to determine which individuals are too dangerous or reckless to carry concealed firearms; and

WHEREAS, concealed carry standards are not similar to driver's licenses because states set largely identical requirements for driving and uniformly require an eyesight test, a road test, and a written test, while concealed carry standards vary drastically by state and several states do not require permits at all; and

WHEREAS, unlike with driver's licenses, there is often no way to confirm that an out-of-state concealed carry permit is valid, and in contrast with "concealed carry reciprocity", states have voluntarily recognized each other's driver's licenses; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2018, the Senate concurring, that this body opposes federal "concealed carry reciprocity" legislation, such as S. 446, 115th Cong. 2017; H.R. 38, 115th Cong. 2017; and other similar legislation that proposes to:

(1) Remove state and local police power to set public safety standards for who may carry a concealed firearm in public; and

(2) Put local law enforcement at risk when encountering an armed out-of-state visitor who may be carrying with no permit whatsoever – often leaving police and sheriffs with no means to verify whether the person is carrying lawfully; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this body urges Hawaii's congressional delegation and the United States Congress to oppose federal "concealed carry reciprocity" legislation; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this body reiterates its support for common-sense gun legislation to keep guns out of dangerous hands, including standards that ensure people cannot legally carry guns concealed in Hawaii communities without proper safety training or if they pose a danger to the public; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Majority Leader of the United States Senate, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and Hawaii's congressional delegation.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Concealed Carry Reciprocity; United States Congress

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	37
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018
STATE OF HAWAII