Question: You told someone where to drop off guns they don’t want anymore. You said to take them to the HPD. I have some questions about that. Could I do it anonymously, without filling out any forms? Does HPD destroy all the guns or does it keep what it wants? That would be OK with me. I want them out of my house.
Answer: The answer to your first question is no. “All individuals turning in firearms are required to sign a property receipt turning over the gun(s) to HPD,” said Michelle Yu, a spokeswoman for the Honolulu Police Department. “The only exception is during an amnesty period when guns may be turned in with no questions asked. The last amnesty program was conducted in 2000.”
As for the fate of the firearms, “Department policy states that the guns may be destroyed, held for investigation, used by the department, or retained by the HPD museum or crime lab,” Yu said.
Before destroying a gun, police would make sure it isn’t linked to an open investigation, Yu had said in response to the earlier question you mentioned, which was published Aug. 24 (808ne.ws/824kline).
As stated then, anyone who wants to dispose of an unwanted firearm on Oahu should take it to the Honolulu Police Department’s Records and Identification Division at the entrance to HPD headquarters at 801 S. Beretania St.
Q: I would like to get a new copy of the guide to senior services that the city used to publish. Do they still publish that? Mine is from years ago. Please don’t send me to a website. I want a hard copy.
A: Yes, the 2015-17 edition of the Senior Information & Assistance Handbook is available online and in print.
You can pick up a copy at the city’s Department of Community Services at Kapalama Hale, 925 Dillingham Blvd., Suite 200, said Andrew Pereira, a spokesman for the city. “Any member of the staff can assist folks in providing a hard copy to the public,” he said.
The Department of Community Services is on the second floor of the Diamond Head side of Kapalama Hale. Entry to the building is at the mauka end, near Dillingham Boulevard, he said. It is a secured building, so people must check in at a security station, he said.
Parking is available in the general parking lot mauka of the Costco gas station, not in the small lot closer to the building.
For readers who prefer to read the booklet on computer, or who want to print out their own hard copy at home, go to 808ne.ws/compvers or 808ne.ws/printown, respectively.
The 48-page booklet has information for senior citizens about food, housing, transportation, health care, legal help and other essential services. It is published by DCS’ Elderly Affairs Division.
Q: What’s the age required to get a fireworks permit?
A: Permit holders on Oahu must be 18 or older, according to the Honolulu Fire Department.
Q: You should tell people they can get their driver’s license on a Saturday (Kapalama Hale). Convenient!
A: Yes, the Driver Licensing Center there is open from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays, but only until the end of this year, according to the city’s website. Regular hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.
Mahalo
Much mahalo to the person(s) who found my dog Hershey wandering around the dark streets of Kailua on Nov. 28 and took her to VCA Hospital in Kaneohe. She has a chip and I was called about an hour after we had frantically searched the whole neighborhood for her. I will be forever grateful to you and wish you and your ohana a very happy, safe holiday season. The hospital would not give me your name or number so that I could thank you in person. — Aloha, Lisa P.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
