Hawaii: Honolulu Seeks to Severely Restrict Carry

Bill 57 (2022) is an effort by the Honolulu City Council to discourage law-abiding persons from exercising their rights, by creating as many “gun-free zones” as possible. This patchwork of so-called “sensitive areas” does nothing more than create confusion for law-abiding persons, while being blatantly ignored by criminals.

The ordinance prohibits carrying firearms in many public places, including city-owned or controlled buildings, public parks, within 200ft of any voter service or ballot deposit location, in or on public transportation buildings, structures, or grounds, or within 100ft of any place where 25 or more people gather to exercise their First Amendment rights.  

Further, the ordinance prohibits carrying firearms on the premises of private businesses, including parking lots, unless the private business “expressly” consents to it, such as by signage. This is the Council making a one-size-fits-all decision for all private businesses unless they wish to publicly declare their support for lawful carry and possibly open themselves to harassment by anti-gun radicals.