Hawaii Gun Laws
Gun Laws Overview
RIFLES & SHOTGUNS | HANDGUNS | |
---|---|---|
Permit to Purchase | Yes | Yes |
Registration of Firearms | Yes | Yes |
Licensing of Owners | No | No |
Permit to Carry | No | Yes |
The list and map below are included as a tool to assist you in validating your information. We have made every effort to report the information correctly, however reciprocity and recognition agreements are subject to frequent change. The information is not intended as legal advice or a restatement of law and does not include: restrictions that may be placed on non-resident permits, individuals under the age of 21, qualifying permit classes, and/or any other factor which may limit reciprocity and/or recognition. For any particular situation, a licensed local attorney must be consulted for an accurate interpretation. YOU MUST ABIDE WITH ALL LAWS: STATE, FEDERAL AND LOCAL. |
STATE STATUS | |
---|---|
Castle Doctrine | No Law |
No-Net Loss | No Legislation |
Right to Carry Confidentiality | Provisions Enacted |
Right to Carry in Restaurants | Legal |
Right To Carry Laws | Rights Restricted-Very Limited Issue |
Right To Carry Reciprocity and Recognition | None |
Right to Keep & Bear Arms State Constitutional Provisions | With Provisions |
Laws on Purchase, Possession and Carrying of Firearms
Antiques and Replicas
Firearms designed to fire loose black powder are not required to be registered. All other provisions are applicable to antiques and replicas. |
Carrying
The possession of all firearms and ammunition is restricted to the possessor’s place of business, residence, or sojourn, but it is lawful to carry firearms and ammunition in an enclosed container 3 or other suitable container from the place of purchase to the purchaser’s home, place of business, or place of sojourn, or between these places when moving, or between these places and a place of repair or a target range. MORE |
Machine Guns
The manufacture, possession, sale, barter, trade, gift, transfer or acquisition of any machine gun is prohibited. Exempt are law enforcement officers, mail carriers, members of military forces, and persons employed by the state, its subdivisions, or the U.S. whose duties require being armed, while they are performing those duties or while going to and from their respective places of duty. These provisions also apply to rifles with barrel lengths under 16 inches and shotguns with barrel lengths under 18 inches. |
Miscellaneous
It is unlawful to willfully alter, remove, or obliterate the name of the make, model, serial number, or other mark of identification of any firearm or ammunition. Possession of such a firearm creates a legal presumption that the possessor has committed the unlawful act. MORE |
Possession
It is unlawful for a person to own, possess or control any firearm or ammunition if he is a fugitive from justice or has been convicted of a felony or of the illegal use, possession or sale of any drug, any person who is less than 25 and has been adjudicated by the family court to have committed a felony, two or more crimes of violence, or illegal sale of drugs; addicted to alcohol, committed to a mental institution or has been diagnosed as having mental disorders unless the person has been medically documented to be no longer adversely affected by the addiction, abuse, dependence or mental illness; or any person under a restraining order by any court. Anyone denied a permit for these reasons has 30 days to show otherwise or turn in all other firearms and ammunition. MORE |
Purchase
No person shall acquire the ownership of a firearm1, either by purchase, gift, inheritance, bequest, or in any other manner, whether procured in Hawaii or imported, until he has first procured from the chief of police of the county of his place of business, residence, or sojourn a permit to acquire. MORE |
Registration
All firearms and ammunition must be registered with the chief of police of the county of one’s place of business, one’s residence, or one’s place of sojourn.2 This includes firearms of any description, whether usable or unusable, serviceable or unserviceable, modern or antique, or ammunition of any type and description. Exempt from this registration are all unserviceable firearms and destructive devices registered with the Director, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. MORE |
Notes
1. Whether usable or unusable, serviceable or unserviceable, modern or antique, registered or unregistered. 2. Place of sojourn means a temporary place of lodging. 3. Enclosed in a rigidly constructed receptacle, or a commercially manufactured gun case, that completely enclosed the firearm. 4. The extent of the exemption for military personnel is open to debate. It is probably intended to cover servicemen only while on duty. 5. These permits are extremely difficult to obtain. We have been advised that the County Police Departments will not approve a license for any reason. |
SOURCES: Haw. Rev. Stat. §§ 134-1-15 |
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