Letter: Impossible to enforce ‘gun-free’ zones

I cheer efforts by our Legislature and City Council to mitigate the public’s dismay over the recent Supreme Court ruling allowing the carrying of guns in public (“Council OKs gun-free places,” Star-Advertiser, March 16).

They can designate all of the “sensitive” places they want, but how is it possible to enforce these bans? Is every “sensitive” place going to have a monitoring system? In any kind of confrontation, the need to discuss and negotiate is diminished by the fact that one or both parties are armed. Fear is going to replace good sense.

This is “feel-good” legislation that obviously is not going to solve Hawaii’s new problem.

Even if the police department doesn’t issue a license, the vibe is that guns are OK to possess and carry in public. It’s back to the drawing board for more ideas of how to cope with the expected surge in shootings.

Marion Walker

Kahala

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