Let’s talk about the days of “Magnum P.I.” and how far we’ve fallen from that time. Back in the 1980s, Thomas Magnum was the embodiment of American justice. He was a guy who would use his Colt 1911 to take down the bad guys, no questions asked. He wasn’t worried about getting hauled into court every time he fired his weapon. He was focused on protecting the innocent. The way it should be.
Fast forward to 2024, and if you’re defending yourself or others with a legally-owned firearm, you might as well be packing a suitcase for a trip to jail, especially if you’re in Honolulu.
Tom Selleck made “Magnum P.I.” a legend, but let’s be real: if Magnum were around today, the series would look more like a courtroom drama. The modern-day Honolulu police, led by Police Chief Arthur Logan– a guy who insists you call him “Joe” Logan, would have him locked up for daring to defend himself.
Case in point, the recent tragedy in Waianae, where a dispute between neighbors escalated into a mass shooting. A resident acted in self-defense, likely saving more lives, but what did the local hero get for his trouble? Arrested. Second-degree murder charge, no less.
This isn’t some conspiracy theory—Chief Logan said it himself: Hawaii doesn’t do “stand your ground.” You can have a license to carry, save a bunch of people from a maniac, and you’ll still get arrested. Logan’s words ring in your ears: “In Hawaii, we are a non ‘stand your ground’ state. Even if you have a license to carry, if you’re an individual that discharges a firearm that is involved in injuring another person, … you’re going to be arrested.”
Never mind that Hawaii’s own penal code allows for the use of deadly force in self-defense. Apparently, the law is just window dressing for Logan’s twisted interpretation of justice. It’s clear—this is less about law and more about flexing power.
Let’s dig into that a bit. Section 703-304 of the Hawaii Penal Code clearly states that force is justified when protecting yourself from unlawful force. It even says deadly force can be used if you believe it’s necessary to protect yourself from death or serious injury. Yet here we are, with Logan arresting a guy who likely did just that. The man who stopped a potential massacre is now forever labeled as the guy “arrested for murder.” Sure, he was released, but the damage is done. Logan’s message is clear: Don’t you dare defend yourself in my city.
Now, it doesn’t take a legal scholar to see how absurd this is. The law, as written, protects people who act in self-defense, but Logan seems more interested in punishing those who do what’s right. He’s effectively chilling a constitutional right. The Second Amendment guarantees the right to keep and bear arms, but what good is that right if you’re going to get hauled off in handcuffs for using it to save lives?
This brings me to the story of Jim Thompson’s son, a combat vet fresh from Afghanistan, who got slapped with a jaywalking citation by Honolulu cops at 2:00 a.m. for crossing an empty street. Meanwhile, prostitutes strolled right by without so much as a glance from the same officers. When the officers were asked about the prostitutes jaywalking, the cop just smiled and went back to writing the citation. Priorities, right? This is the same backward logic in action—punishing the wrong people while turning a blind eye to the real issues.
Hawaii might be a beautiful place, but it’s definitely not a place for those who value their rights, particularly the right to self-defense. And you know what? People have choices. Choices about where they spend their money, where they vacation. With the way things are going, Hawaii won’t be getting mine anytime soon.
