The so-called Democratic Majority in the Hawaiʻi State House of Representatives has seemingly drunk the Qlaid and gone off the deep end (on the far right side) of the pool.

Can you believe Hawaiʻi Democrats would actually pass a “Stand your ground bill?
Well, the short answer is yes, HB2464 is it.

“The shooting of unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin drew national attention to these laws…Our study finds homicides go up by 7 to 9 % in states that pass the laws…As to whether the laws reduce crime…we find no evidence of any deterrence effect…” Must Read National Public Radio

“Stand your ground laws overturn centuries of jurisprudence, allowing people to avoid criminal prosecution for the use of deadly force even when the person could easily and safely retreat. Research consistently shows that stand your ground laws increase homicides…” The Educational Fund To Stop Gun Violence.

“In short, Stand Your Ground laws encourage the use of deadly force. These laws open the door to a more dangerous world where everyone feels pressure to carry a gun – and if they feel threatened, to shoot first and tell their stories later.” Scholars Org

“Stand Your Ground laws – which limit or remove the expectation that lethal force in self-defense is only justified in situations where it does not seem safe to step away instead – deepen disparities in the legal system and disproportionately justify the use of violence by people who are white and male against people who are not. Moreover, research shows these laws lead to significantly more killing – in any given month, 30 to 50 people across the country are killed as a result of these laws – and have no deterrent effect on other crimes.” Southern Poverty Law Center

So who in the State House of Representatives actually voted for this dangerous, testosterone-fueled right-wing, and very dangerous piece of legislation? Unfortunately, that list is long, and it includes Speaker Scott Saiki and every member of the House Leadership faction – all of whom are members of the Democratic Party, I am embarrassed to say.

To end this on a positive note, I will list the NO votes here. Please take a moment to thank them for standing up to this madness. Representative(s)

Representative Patrick Branco – repbranco@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Sonny Ganaden – repganaden@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Jeanne Kapela – repkapela@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Dale Kobayashi – repdkobayashi@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Nicole Lowen – replowen@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Lisa Marten – repmarten@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Angus McKelvey – repmckelvey@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Nadine Nakamura – repnakamura@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Amy Perruso – repperruso@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Jackson Sayama – repsayama@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Roy Takumi – reptakumi@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Adrian Tam – reptam@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative David Tarnas – reptarnas@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Tina Wildberger – repwildberger@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Voting No (14)

Complete contact information for all Representatives can be found here .

For easy reference, below are all of those that voted YES. I encourage you to give them a piece of your mind – professionally and courteously of course.

House Leadership
Speaker Scott Saiki – repsaiki@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Vice Speaker John Mizuno – repmizuno@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Majority Leader Della Au Belatti – repbelatti@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Majority Floor Leader Dee Morikawa – repmorikawa@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Minority Leader Val Okimoto – repokimoto@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Minority Floor Leader Lauren Matsumoto – repmatsumoto@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Minority Policy Leader Gene Ward – repward@Capitol.hawaii.gov
House General Membership
Representative Henry Aquino – repaquino@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Linda Clark – repclark@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Stacelynn Eli – repeli@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Cedric Gates – repgates@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Sharon Har – rephar@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Mark Hashem – rephashem@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Troy Hashimoto – rephashimoto@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Daniel Holt – repholt@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Linda Ichiyama – repichiyama@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Greggor Ilagan – repilagan@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Aaron Ling Johanson – repjohanson@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Lisa Kitagawa – repkitagawa@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Bertrand Kobayashi – repkobayashi@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Sam Kong – repkong@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Matthew LoPresti – replopresti@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Sylvia Luke – repluke@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Mark Nakashima – repnakashima@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Scott Nishimoto – repnishimoto@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Takashi Ohno – repohno@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Richard Onishi – reponishi@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Sean Quinlan – repquinlan@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Gregg Takayama – reptakayama@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative James Tokioka – reptokioka@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Justin Woodson – repwoodson@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Ryan Yamane – repyamane@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Kyle Yamashita – repyamashita@Capitol.hawaii.gov

Absent from vote:
Assistant Minority Floor Leader Bob McDermott – repmcdermott@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Chris Todd – reptodd@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Scot Matayoshi – repmatayoshi@Capitol.hawaii.gov (voted yes in committee but absent from floor vote)