The Hawaiian tourist destination of Waikiki is known for bikinis, shopping and surfboards, but resident Andrew Roberts has recently started bringing a different item with him on his evening walks through his neighborhood: a long-handled battle axe.
Roberts, director of the nonprofit Hawaii Firearms Coalition, has been carrying the 15th-century-style European halberd on his walks since May, when Hawaii relaxed its weapons restrictions following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Decisions for 2022 Americans have the right to carry firearms in public for self-defense.
The so-called Bruen decision overturned gun laws across the U.S., but particularly in Hawaii, a state that had long had some of the nation's strictest gun laws and one of the lowest rates of gun violence.
A subsequent federal appeals court decision applied Bruen to state butterfly knife bans and found them unconstitutional. Other matters related to Hawaii's weapons laws As the litigation continued, lawmakers responded by passing a bill this year that would generally allow people to openly carry deadly or dangerous weapons in public.
Previously, anyone found in possession of a gun was subject to immediate arrest.
The new law offers some people an opportunity to connect with Native Hawaiians and other cultures through traditional weapons, and has raised concerns that as weapon displays become more common, people may be more likely to use them.
Roberts described himself as a “true believer in the Second Amendment.”
He said carrying a halberd or short battle axe makes people more aware of the law and helps them avoid being harshly stopped by police for possessing an unusual weapon.
“On an average evening walk, I'll probably be stopped two or three times and just have a conversation about Hawaii's gun control laws and weapons control laws,” he said.
On a recent Saturday morning, Roberts, carrying a halberd, gathered with other coalition members, some of whom carried samurai swords, at Waikiki's vast Kapiolani Park.
One man carried a butterfly knife (also known as a balisong), commonly used in the Filipino martial arts to which many Hawaiians have roots, and a man in a red kilt had a wooden Scottish sword hanging from his waist.
Honolulu Police Department officers spoke with Roberts after he learned of the plan to march through Waikiki to celebrate the law, and he told one of the officers he'd bought the halberd blade on Amazon for $56.
Escorted by police, they strolled down Kalakaua Avenue, Waikiki's main beachfront, where some tourists looked double-taken, but many were unfazed by the armed men carrying large American flags.
“Nobody's that shocked,” Roberts said, “this is just an opportunity to tell people about what's going on in Hawaii and their Second Amendment rights.”
In a statement, the Hawaii Attorney General's Office emphasized that the new law does not open the door to unrestricted carrying of weapons in public.
“The idea that people can carry weapons however they want and wherever they want is simply not true,” the department said. “There are many laws and regulations that govern different aspects of the use and possession of weapons. All of these laws will remain in force.”
Carrying a concealed weapon remains a misdemeanor, and the law increases penalties for carrying a weapon while committing a crime. It also makes it illegal to carry a weapon in a manner that creates a threat or fear of harm to another person.
Knives and clubs are not as dangerous as guns, but they shouldn't be on the streets, said Chris Marvin, a Hawaii resident with the gun violence prevention group Everytown for Gun Safety.
“It's completely understandable that people would claim self-defense and should choose to use knives or blunt objects over guns, but the cultural attitudes we are beginning to adopt are not the norm in Hawaii,” he said. “By making these laws, we are becoming more and more like the mainland, which is filled with aggressive, argumentative people who are quick to resort to violence.”
Michael Rice carried a wooden spear on the hour-long bus ride to the Waikiki rally.
Studying traditional weapons, such as spears made from koa wood by his uncle, allowed him to connect with his Native Hawaiian roots. “You don't get a chance to express your culture very often.”
Soleil Roach, a self-defense instructor who did not take part in the walk, said the law allowed her to include butterfly knives in her lessons and to learn about their importance in the Philippines, where her grandfather is from.
The law gives her “an opportunity to dig deeper into that part of my ancestry,” she said.
Philippine martial arts instructor Burton Richardson said he can now teach and practice in public parks using weapons such as butterfly knives.
“In the Philippines, fighting traditions using knives, sticks and swords were important to the culture,” he said.
The weapon has two rotating handles that open and close like butterfly wings, allowing enthusiasts to expertly flash the blade.
Umi Kai, a maker of traditional Hawaiian weapons including spears, daggers and clubs, who was not on the walk, said he uses them primarily for ceremonial and educational purposes and that they are not practical for self-defense in modern Hawaii.
“For self-defense, I wouldn't carry a club with shark teeth on it every day,” he said.
