Rep. Tokuda introduces bill to support law enforcement’s battle against ‘zombie guns’ 

US Rep. Jill Tokuda (HI-02) introduced a bill to provide public agencies, including police departments, with greater resources to fully and safely destroy seized or surrendered firearms. 

The Restoring Trust in Public Safety Act would create a new federal grant program to help state, Tribal, and local governments and law enforcement agencies acquire equipment, hire personnel, and conduct training to guarantee the complete destruction of firearms and firearm parts under their control.

Last year, Tokuda met with police chiefs statewide and heard directly about their challenges with properly disposing of retired firearms. This legislation would help police departments tackle their backlogs of surrendered weapons and curb the proliferation of “zombie guns” – weapons that should have been destroyed but are instead broken down, resold online as untraceable components, and frequently used to build ghost guns or sold as repair kids without background checks.

“Gun violence is an epidemic in our country that must be stopped, and it starts by making sure illegal and untraceable guns stay off our streets,” said Tokuda. “The Restoring Trust in Public Safety Act ensures law enforcement agencies have the tools and capacity needed to fully destroy guns that are seized, surrendered, or retired – and reduces dependence on private disposal companies that have profited off inadequate public resources. We must shut down the illegal pipeline that continues to allow discarded weapons to evade background checks and circulate back into our communities.”

The Restoring Trust in Public Safety Act builds on the Congresswoman’s previous work to protect communities from the threat of gun violence. Earlier this year, Tokuda introduced the Gun Hardware Oversight and Shipment Tracking (GHOST) Act to help law enforcement track the interstate shipment of firearm kits and prevent the spread of unserialized firearms.

The Restoring Trust in Public Safety Act is cosponsored by Reps. Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-00), Dan Goldman (NY-10), Jared Moskowitz (FL-23), Kevin Mullin (CA-15), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Ed Case (HI-01), Seth Magaziner (RI-02), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), and Chuy Garcia (IL-04). The bill is also endorsed by the Hawai‘i Department of Law Enforcement, Hawai‘i Police Department, Kaua‘i Police Department, Brady: United Against Gun Violence, GIFFORDS, March for Our Lives, and Everytown for Gun Safety.

“The Hawaiʻi Department of Law Enforcement appreciates Representative Tokuda’s commitment to public safety, particularly as it relates to gun violence. This bill will ensure that law enforcement agencies across the United States will have the necessary resources needed to properly destroy surrendered firearms. We look forward to supporting this bill and any other future legislation that reduces the likelihood of firearms falling into the hands of criminals,” said Mike Lambert, Director of the Hawaiʻi Department of Law Enforcement. 

Full text of the legislation can be found here.