Hawaii gun violence commission meets after deadly Waianae shooting
- The gun violence commission was formed to address critical gaps in data related to gun violence prevention in Hawaii.
- Despite low reported gun violence rates, the commission found data to be unreliable and inconsistent across county police departments.
- The commission's findings highlight the need for better data collection and research to inform effective gun laws and policies.
In the wake of a tragic shooting in Waianae, Hawaii, a gun violence commission convened to address significant gaps in data related to gun violence prevention. Established three years prior to the incident, the commission aimed to gather reliable information to inform laws that could potentially save lives. Despite Hawaii's reputation for low gun violence rates, the commission found that the data supporting this claim was sparse and unreliable, raising questions about the effectiveness of existing gun laws. Commissioner Denise Konan highlighted the challenges faced by the commission, including inconsistent data collection practices among county police departments and the difficulty in defining violent crime. The commission identified urgent research needs, such as the rise of ghost guns and juvenile crime, while also noting the state's high rates of domestic violence, which could contribute to gun-related incidents. The commission's efforts were hampered by the lack of a centralized data source, as each county reported crime differently, leading to discrepancies in reported statistics. The Attorney General's office had previously published a report on gun violence, but it relied on a national database rather than local data, further complicating the situation. In response to these challenges, Senator Chris Lee proposed a bill to fund a gun violence office under the AG's office to conduct necessary research. However, the AG's office opposed this initiative, favoring a merger of the commission with another group focused on improving criminal justice data sharing, indicating a need for a more coordinated approach to address gun violence in Hawaii.