The headline, “Honolulu lags other counties on gun licenses” (Star-Advertiser, Nov. 3), suggests that the Honolulu Police Department’s process for developing new concealed-carry rules is somehow slow or deficient compared to other counties.

Under the regulations prior to the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, Hawaii as a state had one of the lowest rates of gun death in the country. In contrast, states on the mainland with looser gun laws have per capita gun death rates up to eight times higher than Hawaii’s. Nationally, firearms have become the leading cause of death in children and teens, causing more deaths than motor vehicles and drug overdoses.

Changing Honolulu’s firearms rules to comply with the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision is necessary, but it shouldn’t be rushed.

Elna Nagasako

Makiki

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