Hawaii is temporarily halting its call for medical marijuana cardholders to “voluntarily surrender” their guns after backlash that the policy impacts legal gun owners.
In November, the Honolulu Police Department issued letters to gun owners who are also medical marijuana patients telling them they have 30 days to “voluntarily surrender” their guns.
The police department issued the notice because, under federal law, marijuana users are legally not allowed to own guns—even if they’re using marijuana for medicinal purposes.
However, the Honolulu Star Advertiser now reports the police department is putting their policy of gun confiscation on hold while they consult with other government agencies over the legality of the allegedly voluntary action.
According to Hawaii News Now, the concern over depriving medical marijuana cardholders from owning guns stems from the fact that people can have medical marijuana cards but are not actually using the drug.
Honolulu Police Department Chief Susan Ballard said, “This is a new area of concern for cities across the country, and we in Honolulu want to develop a policy that’s legally sound and serves our community.”
“Formulating the policy will take time, but we want to do it right,” she continued.
The Daily Caller claims police will be returning the guns of the two citizens who turned in their firearms.
As far as new prospective gun owners, the ATF will deny those who have medical marijuana cards. People who already have guns, but are medical marijuana users, will reportedly not be able to buy more guns.