Most gun-owners across the United States view firearm registration as unconstitutional. A firearm registry essentially provides the state or federal government a list of individual citizens and the firearms in their possession. In the hands of an enemy force or tyrannical government, such a list would be invaluable for disarming the public. Hawaii is one of the few states requiring firearm registration, and it just used this list to disarm a portion of its citizens.
The Honolulu Police Department gave legal marijuana users 30 days to hand over their firearms. The following letter was sent out to all medical marijuana card-holders on Oahu,
“Your medical marijuana use disqualifies you from ownership of firearms and ammunition,” the letter said. Medical marijuana is legal in the state of Hawaii as long as the participating citizens have registered and have the appropriate card, but it is still illegal under federal law.
The letter cites Hawaii’s Revised Statues, Sec. 134-7 (a) as the cause of these letters. “No person who is a fugitive from justice or is a person prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law shall own, possess, or control any firearm or ammunition therefor.”
These letters mark the first time a law enforcement agency has actively ordered marijuana patients to surrender their firearms.
While this order is completely legal under federal law, the implied potential abuse of a firearms registry has never been more apparent.