State Attorney General calls for background checks on ammunition purchases
HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) -Hawaii Attorney General Clare Connors joined 20 other Attorneys General Monday urging Congress to support a gun control measure.
The bill, nicknamed “Jamie’s Law,” calls for background checks for firearms as well as ammunition purchases.
Connors argues that the added background checks would decrease gun violence by stopping people who are not allowed from buying a gun from also obtaining ammunition. Those affected would include convicted felons, domestic abusers, and people with serious mental health issues.
“An individual who is prohibited from purchasing firearms should not be able to purchase ammunition,” said Connors. “This is a common sense measure to make our communities safer.”
To enforce the law, Connors says individuals would either have to be licensed to own a firearm or undergo a background check to purchase ammunition.
The measure is currently being heard by the House Judiciary Committee.
Attorney General Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania led the coalition, which also included the Attorneys General of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.
The measure is named for Jaime Guttenberg. The 14-year-old was one of 17 people killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. on Valentine’s Day 2018.
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