The Hawaii state legislature is currently debating a bill restricting concealed weapons in public spaces, as well as mandating insurance for gun owners.
I don't have time to go to the State Capitol to testify in person, but I did send this written testimony.
I oppose SB1230 as it is a de facto gun ban meant to treat all gun owners as guilty until proven innocent. The restrictions on where people can carry guns are too restrictive. People are vulnerable to physical attacks in unsecured places like public parks and public transit, and people should have the right to armed self-defense in such places. Also, when people are carrying a weapon to a "sensitive place" like a mall or a museum, their main concern is self-defense when they're ON THE WAY to those "sensitive places". They don't plan to shoot someone at a mall or a museum, they carry the gun in case they're confronted while on the way going to and from those places. For example, a person might be carrying a gun not because they're afraid of their workplace, but because of potential dangers when going TO and FROM the workplace. They're worried about getting mugged on the way home from work.
Forcing people to pay expensive insurance in order to have a gun also treats them as guilty until proven innocent. This insurance requirement infringes in our natural rights to self-defense.
The only people who benefit from SB 1230 are those who are either genetically blessed to be of big size or those who are blessed to hang out with other dangerous people who can continue to harass people knowing they can't fight back. Big bullies are extremely grateful for gun restrictions because they leave potential victims defenseless!
As long as the person has no convictions of an unprovoked violent crime or no restraining orders, then that person should be treated as INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY and be allowed to carry a gun for self-defense.
In conclusion, please vote against SB 1230 and any other bills that treats gun owners as guilty until proven innocent
