Hawai‘i's Representatives joined with the Democratic majority Wednesday to oppose a bill that would allow retired police officers to carry a concealed firearm in school zones.
The Law Enforcement Officer Safety Act Reform Act, or LEOSA Act, was the only bill the U.S. House voted on Wednesday. The Republican-authored bill would amend the 2004 LEOSA, which currently allows "qualified law enforcement officers" to be exempt from certain concealed-carry laws.
While U.S. laws currently allow active officers and federal agents to carry firearms in federal facilities such as courthouses, the LEOSA Reform Act would expand that allowance to include certain retired police officers, and would include "civilian public access facilities" among the places they could freely carry guns.
The bill also strikes language in the LEOSA that requires officers to have passed a firearms qualification test within the previous year to be considered "qualified law enforcement officers." That requirement would be replaced by a certification by either the officer's former employer, any law enforcement agency within the state in which the officer resides, or "any certified firearms instructor" within the state affirming that the officer meets the standards for qualification in firearms training.
The House voted 229-193 to pass the bill. Votes were largely split down partisan lines, with no Republicans voting against it, and only 14 Democrats voting for it. Hawai‘i's representatives Ed Case and Jill Tokuda voted against the bill.
