Some Hawaii lawmakers want to pass Stand Your Ground, a policy that encourages people to shoot first and ask questions later. It's associated with increased homicide rates, translating to more than 150 gun deaths each month in the U.S. overall. Making Hawaii a Stand Your Ground state would lead to even more deaths.
Stand Your Ground legislation allows people to shoot and kill someone even when there's a clear and safe way to walk away from the situation. It's a dangerous and unnecessary policy, since people with a legitimate reason to defend themselves are already fully protected under traditional self-defense law.
Fill out the form to send the following message to members of the House Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs >>
Dear Lawmakers,
As a Hawaii resident, I urge you to oppose HB 524, a dangerous Stand Your Ground bill that has no place in Hawaii.
Stand Your Ground legislation leads to an increase in the number of gun deaths and injuries. A recent study over a 13 year period found that states which enacted Stand Your Ground laws saw an 11% increase in firearm homicide rates, while states that did not enact such laws saw a 2% decrease.
Stand Your Ground laws have also been associated with an increase in nonfatal firearm injuries resulting in emergency room visits and hospitalization.
Bottom line: HB 524 would make Hawaii less safe. Please stop extreme gun legislation and oppose this Stand Your Ground bill.