I-Team: How teens are accessing guns in Hawaii

HONOLULU (KHON2) — A 16-year-old has been arrested in connection to the death of another teen at Makaha Beach Park.

According to the Honolulu Police Department, a 17-year-old male victim was shot at Makaha Beach after getting into an argument with the suspect. Investigators said it appears the two knew each other and the incident was not a random act.

“Disputes that might be used to be settled with fists, unfortunately, some of the time are being settled with guns. And you know, what’s hard is, particularly young people are not going to think about the consequences of their actions.”

Steve Alm, Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney

This comes just a few weeks after a deadly shooting at a chicken fight in Maili, where one of the suspects was also just 16 years old.

The legal age to obtain a gun in Hawaii is 21, so how are teens getting them?

“I assume the most common thing you see in the news is they’re stolen or they get them from the black market where it’s obtained illegally,” explained Anthony Loui, who is a store manager at Security Equipment Corp. in Honolulu. “Hawaii has one of the highest number of gun laws and stringency to be able to get a gun so it’s not an easy thing.”

Hawaii requires a mandatory 14-day waiting period for a permit and a background check too.

KHON2 asked the Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney how kids are getting these firearms.

Without being specific to any particular case, especially cases regarding juveniles, he said overall people are getting them in different ways.

“Part of it’s theft, firearms are top of the list for burglars, so people certainly have the right to have firearms in their home, but we would ask them to be sure to secure the firearms at the home,” Alm said.

“We also are seeing more case cases with ghost guns that are manufactured or parts come in the mail and people put it together, it’s kind of scary, you know,” he added.

Ghost guns don’t have serial numbers and are almost impossible to trace back to the owner.

KHON2 asked if a person tries to order a ghost kit online would the page allow them to purchase one, even if ghost guns are banned in Hawaii?

“Well, that would be nice,” Alm said.

He said kids shouldn’t think their young age will protect them from severe consequences and parents need to be responsible for their child’s whereabouts.

“The parents have to work and then trust their kids not to get in trouble, but part of being a parent is being responsible,” Alm said.

Alm continued on to state:

“Keep an eye on your kids, so they’re not out running around in the middle of the night, because nothing good happens in those early morning hours, especially with teenagers, they don’t think clearly, they’re impulsive, they’re going to try to take advantage of things, they may try to take advantage of things because they think the law will be soft with them. Well, it’s not going to be if it involves guns, and it involves killing people.”

Alm said the minimum time for murder in Hawaii is roughly 30 years and it’s his job to pass down serious consequences to anybody caught using a gun illegally.

“If people are taking a gun out of their house, that may end — end up with them going to prison for decades, and not only do they ruin somebody else’s life, but they’re ruining their own life as well,” he added.

If you lose your gun or if it’s stolen report it immediately to police.