By Max Cooper, Legislative Co-Chair
State and Local
HRA favorite candidate in the special election for Honolulu City Council District 3, Keoki Leong, lost decisively in 4th place, as did the other 10 candidates, to Ikaika Anderson. Anderson had 49 percent of 25,564 votes cast, voter turnout was 45 percent, the city mailed 56,471 ballots. Mahalo to HRA members, Keoki and Lei Leong for a well-run race. HRA looks forward to working with them in the future.
The Hawaii State Legistature is in its final days, with adjournment May 7.
The Recreational Renaissance, Senate Bill 636, DLNR's $250 million plan for repair and expansion of state parks, boating facilities, and trails, including two new shooting ranges, one on Kauai and another in West Hawaii, is in conference committee. Although the funding is to be from bond sales and tourist user fees, not tax revenues, the finance committees are looking harder at dollar figures this session. SB 532, Castle Doctrine, immunity from civil suit if a home invader is injured or killed, died in conference committee.
Once again, no new restrictive gun legislation is passing. Mahalo to all who lobbied and contributed for another good year for gun rights in Hawaii.
Federal
The media (including the Honolulu Star Bulletin editor and local TV news) continue to build the propaganda campaign in support of the anticipated ban on military look-a-like rifles.
In a speech in Mexico City April 2 Obama said that reviving a ban on "assault weapons" and more strictly enforcing existing gun laws could help reduce drug violence on the U.S.-Mexican border, and that he has "not backed off at all" on a campaign pledge to try to restore the ban.
Seizing on the Violence Prevention Center (new name for Brady bunch) twisted data, the media are dusting off their well-worn "favorite gun of drug dealers" with a new twist, "90% of drug guns seized in Mexico come from the US."
Fox News Reports The Myth of 90 Percent: only a small fraction of guns in Mexico come from the U.S. While 90 percent of the guns actually traced by AFT originated in the United States, the percent traced to the U.S. is only about 17 percent of the total number of seized guns in Mexico. The bogus 90% number has been used in sound bites by Mexico's President and law enforcement officials, Hillary, AG Eric Holder, and Sen. Diane Feinstein. ATF only receives captured guns serial numbers from Mexico for traces when there is a possibility they originated in the US. A large percent of the guns recovered in Mexico do not get sent back to the U.S. for tracing, because it is obvious from their markings that they do not come from the U.S.
The actual sources include: South Korea, China, Spain, Israel, former Soviet bloc manufacturers, Russian crime organizations, South and Central America, the Mexican Army, and a large corrupt portion of Mexico's law enforcement agencies. More than 150,000 Mexican soldiers deserted in the last six years. Many took their weapons with them, including the standard issue M-16 assault rifle made in Belgium. The full auto, rocket launchers, grenade and explosives reported seized obviously did not come from border FFL holders.
ATF, FBI, Border Patrol, and honest law enforcement in Mexico are running successful stings and raids against smugglers on both sides of the border. Speaker Pelosi got one fact right, enforcing existing laws is key.
The Obama administration has been ordered by a D.C. judge to reverse the last administration's rule changes allowing firearms, including concealed carry, in federal parks. Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of the United States District Court in Washington said the Interior Department failed to conduct the environmental assessment, factors as public safety and the likely impact on the "human environment." Over all, she said, the process by which the rule was adopted was "astoundingly flawed." Bills to revive the ruling are introduced in both the Senate and the House, but have little chance of passing.
