THE SENATE
S.B. NO.
401
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025
S.D. 2
STATE OF HAWAII
A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO FIREARMS.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. Section 134-8, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:
"(a) The manufacture, possession, sale, barter, trade, gift, transfer, or acquisition of any of the following is prohibited: assault pistols, except as provided by section 134‑4(e); automatic firearms; rifles with barrel lengths less than sixteen inches; shotguns with barrel lengths less than eighteen inches; [Underlined: any firearm that is not a shotgun with the capacity to fire ammunition of fifty caliber or higher][Underlined: ;] cannons; mufflers, silencers, or devices for deadening or muffling the sound of discharged firearms; hand grenades, dynamite, blasting caps, bombs, or bombshells, or other explosives; or any type of ammunition or any projectile component thereof coated with [[Struck through: teflon]] [Underlined: Teflon] or any other similar coating designed primarily to enhance its capability to penetrate metal or pierce protective armor; and any type of ammunition or any projectile component thereof designed or intended to explode or segment upon impact with its target.
[Underlined: For the purposes of this subsection:]
[Underlined: "Firearm with the capacity to fire ammunition of fifty caliber of higher" does not include antique pistols, antique revolvers, or muzzleloaders.]
[Underlined: "Muzzleloaders" means any rifle, pistol, or shotgun that loads from the muzzle, or the open end of a weapon, from which the ammunition is discharged.]"
SECTION 2. This Act shall not prohibit possession of a firearm that is not a shotgun with the capacity to fire ammunition of fifty caliber or higher that was legally obtained prior to the effective date of this Act.
SECTION 3. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on January 1, 2026.
Report Title:
Firearms; Gun Safety; High Caliber Guns
Description:
Includes any firearm with the capacity to fire ammunition of fifty caliber or higher, excluding antique pistols and revolvers, muzzleloaders, and shotguns, in the list of prohibited weapons. Exempts firearms with the capacity to fire ammunition of fifty caliber or higher legally obtained before 1/1/2026. Effective 1/1/2026. (SD2)
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