Sen. Daniel Akaka is one of three cosponsors of a bill that would ban online ammunition sales, and the rest of Hawaii’s congressional delegation also supports the idea.

The measure — S. 3458 in the Senate and H.R. 6241 in the House — is known as the Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act. It was introduced by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) this week in the aftermath of the Colorado massacre that left 12 dead and dozens injured.

“The Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act pulls ammunition sales out of the shadows and into the light, where criminals can’t hide and responsible dealers can act as a line of defense against the planning and stockpiling of a potential mass killer,” McCarthy said in a Politico article.

Akaka signed on as one of three Senate cosponsors Tuesday, joining California’s Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein. Sen. Dan Inouye supports the bill, according to his office.

On the House side, Rep. Colleen Hanabusa backed the bill, saying in a statement that requiring face-to-face transactions for ammunition is “an appropriate step.”

“Anonymous internet sales deprive states of that power of regulation. Limiting those sales can be an important step in empowering localities to represent the interests of their own citizens,” the email statement from her office said.

Rep. Mazie Hirono expressed support for regulation but was noncommittal about the bill.

“We all want to stop senseless tragedies such as the shooting that occurred in Aurora, Colorado. Safeguards should be in place to prevent criminals and disturbed individuals from acquiring large quantities of ammunition anonymously,” she said in an email statement provided by her office. “We need to have an urgent national conversation about how to balance the rights of individuals with the safety of our communities.”

— Michael Levine

Photo by Flickr user Drab Makyo