Mentally ill, down-in-the-dumps, houseless human beings survive hidden in bushes, fighting drought and flash floods directly across the road from multi-million dollar resorts, public parks and businesses. Local residents reel from the economic and psychological tsumani of COVID-19 while affordable housing remains a pipe dream. Beaches and other public and sensitive natural areas are overrun with population influx and lack of funding for remedy or management of the onslaught. Roads are jammed with out-of-state and rental cars leaving infrastructure beyond capacity. So what do we do?
Create a shooting range on public land with public money! Not just any old gun range, but “a full-feature, world-class” publicly (aka taxpayer) funded facility where, “people would fly in from the mainland to attend,” said Todd Yukatake, director of the Hawaii Firearms Coalition and man with head in alternate universe.
National Rifle Association and other corporate-sponsored gun lobby groups never let up the pressure, always hoping to loosen Hawaii’s protective gun laws. Their high cost, pervasive, PR fuel helps set our nation’s streets and homes on fire — where suicide by firearms and use of them in public places causes constant fear, pain and death. (More guns have never, and will never, improve the statistics. Full Stop.)
I’m not radically anti-gun. There was a hunting rifle in my dad’s closet from the day I was born. He used his gun responsibly, only needed one, and didn’t feel the need to carry another one in his pocket or car to add to the problems already started by people gaining weaponry never meant for daily carry or — unimaginably — use. But the guns keep coming.
Gun aficionados already have forty full Hawaiian acres in largely native, public forest with threatened and endangered species of flora and fauna in which to practice their shooting skills. Hawaii enjoys a relatively low rate of gun-related crimes compared to the places from where Mr Yukatake’s hopes droves might come. What and whose crisis or pressing issues are being solved by this legislation?
Help shoot this idea down now! Hawaii’s people have the right — and hopefully the will — to stop a wasteful, dangerous Trojan horse from successfully striking Hawaii — a troubled paradise, indeed, but one that doesn’t need more Lower 48-style trouble. Write to your state reps, DLNR and governor today, starting with introducer of the bill, Hawaii Island’s Senator Joy Buenaventura at repsanbuenaventura@capitol.hawaii.gov, along with Reps@capitol.hawaii.gov, Sens@capitol.hawaii.gov, dlnr@hawaii.gov, governor.ige@hawaii.gov.
If gun lovers want a facility so badly, why not figure out how to do it on private land with private funding, especially if it’s meant to be such a money spinner?
Janice Palma-Glennie is a resident of Kailua-Kona.
