US Rep. Jill Tokuda: Hawaiʻi Must Ban Future Sale Of Assault Weapons
Strong gun laws have kept mass shootings rare here, but warning signs are flashing red.
April 28, 2025 · 3 min read
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For too long, communities across America and Hawaiʻi have lived with the fear that today could be the day gun violence shatters everything. Built for combat, not communities, assault weapons like the AR-15 have become the deadly tool of choice for criminals, extremists, and mass shooters.
These firearms shoot rounds at four times the velocity of a handgun and are far more destructive to human tissue and organs. Rounds fired by an assault weapon can even pierce law enforcement body armor.
This isn’t a hunting weapon — this is a firearm designed to kill, and it has turned our schools, our places of worship and neighborhoods into battlefields. In the 12 deadliest mass shootings since 2012, more than 1,000 people were shot with these assault weapons.
After Sandy Hook left our nation shaken and grieving, Congress had a chance to act and ban assault weapons. They didn’t. Instead, they bowed to the gun lobby, and since that time, gun manufacturers have raked in over $11 billion selling guns like the AR-15.
More lives have been senselessly taken, and now those lawmakers regret their choice.
Hawaiʻi has been lucky so far. Our strong gun laws have kept mass shootings rare, but the warning signs are flashing red.
Gun deaths in Hawaiʻi have jumped 84% since 2014. That’s more than double the national average. Hawaiʻi has also experienced a 280% increase in gun registration applications since 2000.
We have a chance to act before tragedy strikes. Senate Bill 401, currently before the Hawaiʻi State Legislature, could make Hawaiʻi the 10th state in the nation to ban the future sale of assault weapons.
We know the majority of Americans — and residents of Hawaii — support this common-sense policy. In fact, a recent poll showed three quarters of voters here support banning assault weapons, including a majority of gun owners.
Thoughts and prayers are not enough.
We can’t wait for Washington to find its conscience. I’ll keep fighting in Congress to move gun safety legislation forward that keeps our families and communities safe, but if there is an opportunity to take action now, we must. We can’t gamble our children’s lives on the hope that the next mass shooting won’t happen here.
Our state faces many threats. Gun violence doesn’t have to be one of them. SB 401 is our chance to act — to save lives, to protect our islands, and to stand up to an industry that profits from tragedy.
The time for courage is now.
I urge my former colleagues: Pass SB 401. Thoughts and prayers are not enough. Action is what we need.
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