Are Hawaii’s Laws Artificially Depressing Concealed Carry Numbers?

Yes, according to Andrew Namiki Roberts of the Hawaii Firearms Coalition. Reacting to a new report from Hawaii’s Attorney General on the paltry number of concealed carry permits issued since the end of the state’s “may issue” system a couple of years ago, Roberts says its pretty clear that even under the “shall issue” system that replaced it there are still too many challenges to make exercising the right to carry as easy as it should be. 

According to Attorney General Anne Lopez, just 2,207 have active carry permits at the moment. On the one hand, that’s a marked improvement from the essentially zero permit-holders pre-Bruen, but that figure still represents just 0.2% of the state’s population; far lower than what we see nationally, much less in pro-2A states like Alabama or Indiana. The Crime Prevention Research Center estimates about 8% of the adult population in the U.S. are licensed to carry, with almost 1/4 of residents in Indiana possessing a carry license. 

In Indiana, however, the legislature has voted to remove almost every fee associated with applying for a carry license, while Hawaiian lawmakers have taken the opposite approach. 

Andrew Namiki Roberts, a director and board member of the Hawaii Firearms Coalition, told the Star-­Advertiser that the firearms report “confirms what we expected.”

“It shows that although concealed carry has been legal in Hawaii for two years, the number of people applying for and being approved for permits remains relatively low compared to other states that require a license to carry concealed,” said Roberts, noting that 29 states have adopted constitutional carry laws and do not require a permit. “The primary reason for Hawaii’s low numbers is the actions of both the Legislature and the police departments.

“In 2023, significant legal changes made the process far more burdensome for applicants. New license seekers are now required to take multiple classes — which can cost hundreds of dollars — submit a self-declared affidavit, and pay a $150 fee. For most people, this process is both expensive and time-consuming, often requiring multiple days and several trips to the police station.”

So long as local jurisdictions had the freedom to deny virtually anyone who applied, the state didn’t need to jack up the cost or mandate expensive and time-consuming training sessions, much less impose ridiculous in-person visits to the licensing authority. While defenders of these provisions claim they’re necessary for public safety, the process is also guaranteed to weed out those who decide its not worth the time and effort or can’t afford the expense. 

As for the predictions that the demise of Hawaii’s “may issue” laws would lead to a spike in crime, there’s virtually no evidence that the couple thousand license holders are a danger to themselves or others. 

Honolulu Police Chief Arthur “Joe” Logan told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that it has been a “steep learning curve to implement the amended Rules of the Chief for the City and County of Honolulu in the wake of the Bruen decision.”

“The sensitive places argument is still going through the courts, and we await a final determination in order to codify this decision into law,” said Logan. “HPD has not seen an increase in gun violence as it relates to those legally carrying a firearm. However, we have seen an increase in gun violence committed by those who do not have a legal right to carry a firearm whether due to age, permit, license, or previous criminal convictions.”

Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Steve Alm echoed Logan’s statements about gun violence in Hawaii after Bruen.

Alm told the Star-Advertiser that his office has “not seen an increase in gun related crimes that is directly related to an increase in the issuance of licenses to private citizens to carry a firearm.”

I don’t think Alm could even point to an indirect connection, but I love that he felt the need to include that caveat. The anti-gun attitudes die hard, even when reality proves their talking points to be a lie. 

The truth is that for decades the state of Hawaii prevented residents from exercising their right to carry under the false premise that it would improve public safety, and even now when it’s become abundantly clear that’s not the case anti-gun politicians are still doing everything in their power (not to mention things that go beyond their authority) to prevent the widespread exercise of our Second Amendment rights. Hawaii’s “sensitive places” are still subject to litigation, and I’d love to see the licensing process itself come under scrutiny; either by a federal judge or the Second Amendment Task Force recently announced by Attorney General Pam Bondi.