This week, Hawaii passed the first law in the United States to put gun owners into a database.
The database is one of the first of a series of gun laws that will be put into place. The database will be monitored by the FBI and would notify police when a gun owner is arrested for a crime anywhere in the United States. The system is also known as the “Rap Back” system.
“This will allow county police departments in Hawaii to evaluate whether the firearm owner may continue to legally possess and own firearms,” the Hawaii governor’s office said in a statement.
The NRA tweeted its displeasure with the new law saying, “Exercising constitutional rights in #Hawaii now gets you entered into a federal watchlist, er, database.” The NRA was not alone in their negativity towards the bill. During the public comment process for the bill, one opponent, Quentin Kealoha asked, “Why are law abiding citizens exercising their constitutional right being entered into a criminal database? Would you enter people exercising their right to free speech into a criminal database?”
Supporters argued that the database is needed because an initial background check would not suffice. The database would determine whether or not a firearms owner would be eligible to own and possess a gun or not.
The series of new gun laws also include one that would prohibit those who have stalked or committed sexual assault from owning a gun. Hawaii is not the first state to have some sort of law restricting people who have been convicted of stalking from having guns.
The third new law requires firearm owners to surrender their firearms and ammunition to the police if they have been disqualified to own or possess the guns “due to a diagnosis of having a significant behavioral, emotional, or mental disorder, or due to emergency or involuntary admission to a psychiatric facility.” If the owner did not voluntarily surrender their weapons, the police chief has permission to seize the weapons.
