Permit Denial Win in Hawaii Over Decades-Old Misdemeanor

Glenn Shiroma was convicted of a misdemeanor assault in 1992. According to Hawaii law, someone similarly situated would be eligible for firearm ownership as long as 20 years without incident have passed since the offense, but in 2023, Shiroma applied for a PTA and was denied. In May 2025 Shiroma filed a federal complaint against the County of Hawaii. On September 9, a stipulated judgment and injunction were ordered in Shiroma’s favor.

The County of Hawaii stated Shiroma’s PTA denial was from a now 33-year-old conviction. The denial letter stated in part that “your application for a permit to acquire a firearm has been denied based on Section 134-7(b) of the Hawaii Revised Statutes which precludes you from possessing any firearm due to an Assault 3 conviction in 1992.”

The complaint highlighted a section of Hawaii law where it specifically addresses these kinds of convictions. “Effective July 1, 2023, the state of Hawaii enacted HRS 134-7(i) which provides that if twenty years have elapsed since a misdemeanor conviction for a crime of violence that is not otherwise prohibitory under federal law, then HRS 134-7(b) does not apply to that person,” the complaint stated.

Shiroma’s lawsuit was filed on May 1, 2025 in the U.S. District Court of Hawaii. Representing Shiroma were attorneys Alan Beck and Kevin O’Grady. Beck, O’Grady, and other co-counsels of Beck’s have garnered a serious number of meaningful wins in Hawaii as well as within other jurisdictions in the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

In the complaint, United States v. Perez-Garcia, which is another Ninth Circuit case, was cited. The Perez-Garcia opinion discusses whether or not a person with misdemeanors should be precluded from exercising their Second Amendment right. 

“As to Fencl, specifically, we cannot conclude that his prior misdemeanor conviction or arrests should operate to categorically exclude him from the national community,” the Perez-Garcia opinion says. “We therefore conclude that Fencl and Perez-Garcia are among “the people” within the meaning of the Second Amendment’s ‘bare text.’”

Earlier this month Shiroma entered into a stipulated judgment with the County of Hawaii concerning his application denial. The judgment states that the County will process Shiroma’s application for a PTA according to Hawaii Revised Statutes. 

“County and its agents shall not deny any PTA, including Plaintiff’s, pursuant to HRS § 137-7(b) based only on a misdemeanor crime of violence which did not involve domestic violence, if the conviction occurred more than twenty years ago,” the order reads.

“A simple fist fight from over 30 years ago is no reason to deprive a person of their constitutional rights,” attorney Alan Beck told Bearing Arms. “I am proud to have vindicated Mr. Shiroma’s constitutional rights with this lawsuit.”

This is the second stipulated judgment in Hawaii we’ve reported on coming from Beck and O’Grady this month. Much like one we formerly reported on, this permanent injunction is binding precedent in all of Hawaii for all future applicants.

Editor’s Note: Second Amendment advocates and attorneys across the country are doing everything they can to secure our right to keep and bear arms. 

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