There are no state laws making it illegal for hotel guests to have guns and ammunition in their rooms, says state Representative Tom Brower (D, Waikiki and Ala Moana).

He is trying to change that.

A bill he introduced Friday in the state legislature would prohibit hotel guests from having firearms and ammunition in their rooms. Brower says he got the idea from watching a report on KHON2 in May 2018.

“I was watching KHON, and there was a story,” he explained, “this man had a number of fire arms and a large number of ammunition!”

Last May, Honolulu Police discovered multiple guns, 18 knives, and more than 800 rounds of ammunition in a Waikiki hotel room.

A 38-year-old local man told police he brought the weapons and ammunition to the hotel room over the course of a few days.

He was arrested, and the weapons were confiscated.

“This is certainly an issue legislators need to look into. I think it’s very responsible to get the conversation going,” said Brower.

Currently, the state representative says there are no Hawaii laws banning hotel guests from having guns or ammo in their room, something he considers dangerous.

His proposal gives exceptions to law enforcement officers and military members.

“I understand hunters may go from island to island and there are people who get involved in gun shows. But this is good to bring that conversation to the public. But I think there’s a right to know what that person in the hotel room next door has in their room,” he added.

Brower says he is open to hearing from others on how to make his bill better.

“There may need to be some compromise. If there’s a valid reason why, we want to know about it and we want the public to know about it.”

To reach Representative Brower, his Capitol office number is 808-586-8520, email is: repbrower@Capitol.hawaii.gov.