Honolulu Police Back off Order for Medical Marijuana Users to Turn in Guns

Gun Watch – by Dean Weingarten

On 28 November, 2017, the Honolulu Star Advertiser wrote that the Honolulu Police Department had been sending letters to people that were both registered gun owners and registered medical marijuana users. The letters ordered the medical marijuana users to turn in their guns. From the staradvertiser.com:  

The Honolulu Police Department has told legal marijuana users who own guns that they must turn in their weapons within 30 days.

In a letter to about 30 medical marijuana card holders on Oahu, the police said “you have 30 days upon receipt of this letter to voluntarily surrender your firearms.” Police have been sending the letters since at least January. 

The United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosive issued a letter in 2011 finding that medical marijuana users may not legally possess firearms or ammunition under federal law. The Supreme Court has ruled that states are not required to use their resources to enforce Federal law. It is not clear if Hawaii law prohibits medical marijuana users form possessing firearms or ammunition. Hawaii law requires that a person who applies for a firearms permit must include a release to the police of your medical history. Doctors are required to release any mental health information that is pertinent.

The use of medical databases to confiscate firearms has been controversial. The Honolulu Police have retracted their confiscation letter in order to study the issue. From civilbeat.org:

The department said that it won’t ask medical marijuana patients to give up their guns while it consults with other government agencies and reviews recent court rulings.

“This is a new area of concern for cities across the country, and we in Honolulu want to develop a policy that’s legally sound and serves our community,” said new Police Chief Susan Ballard in the release. “Formulating the policy will take time, but we want to do it right.”

Carl Bergquist from Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii, an organization that advocates for the legalization of marijuana, said Tuesday he wonders why the agency is going to continue denying gun permits to medical cannabis license holders.

“The denial in the first place doesn’t seem to be based on any particular sound policy reasoning,” Bergquist said.

The Honolulu police are currently refusing to grant permits for the possession of guns to those who are medical marijuana users.

Hawaii is one of the few states that require all new firearms in the state to be registered with the police.  You have to apply to the police to purchase a handgun. If you are approved, the permit to purchase is good for 10 days. Permits to purchase long guns are good for a year. Long guns owned before July 1, 1994 are grandfathered and need not be registered. Any firearms transfers in the state since 1994 are required to go through the registration process.

Hawaii is in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which has upheld most infringements on the Second Amendment.

©2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

http://gunwatch.blogspot.com/2017/12/honolulu-police-back-off-order-for.html

8 thoughts on “Honolulu Police Back off Order for Medical Marijuana Users to Turn in Guns

  1. I think they would have to include alcohol too… and thats not gonna go over with the Governments alcohol money , let alone all the drinkers might just be verbal enough to tell them all to go get F—-d

    or maybe they were already told by the 30 people they sent “letters” to..to Molon Labe?

    wouldn’t it be hard to keep enough thugs on the payroll if they knew they were walking to their graves?

    I already see this filled with rights violations, and law suits

    maybe because what they are ordering is unconstitutional?

    1. Agreed… While I don’t partake of the ‘Herb’ anymore, I do consume the 90 proof often. Merry Christmas to ALL!

  2. The sooner these idiots try to confiscate peoples’ guns, the sooner the “Restore the Republic” party gets started. It’s amazing how these psychotic sociopaths believe they can pass laws that are in direct contrast to the Bill of Rights.

  3. “The United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosive issued a letter in 2011 finding that medical marijuana users may not legally possess firearms or ammunition under federal law.”

    Really?

    BY WHAT DAMN AUTHORITY???

    “The department said that it won’t ask medical marijuana patients to give up their guns while it consults with other government agencies and reviews recent court rulings.”

    That’s right… they BLINKED.

    Sorry bast@rds are still fond of breathing, apparently.

  4. Why would a state(legal or otherwise) enforce ‘federal law’?
    Let the batf and fbi enforce federal laws at their expense and within their jurisdiction. If they know what that is…

  5. Great for tourism to be so strict against pot, no? Helps keep people from moving there too, no doubt.

    Why go to a state that doesnt support the Bill of rights or personal freedoms no different than supporting the alcohol lobby payoffs and drinking. The Ninth Circuit court has already attributed the often poor behavior of drunkeness to medical cannabis use, which is entirely false, in order to rule against it with prejudice.

    A-looo frickin ha! Try Colorado.

    1. “Try Colorado.”

      Pass.

      Gets cold enough here, I’ll stick with Oregon.

      We have ‘recreational’ use now, too.

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