Hawaii Gun Laws

Hawaii does not authorize permitless carry. All firearms must be confined to the possessor's place of business, residence, or sojourn, except as provided in §§ 134-5 (hunting) and 134-9 (License to Carry). Carrying a loaded or unloaded pistol or revolver outside those parameters without a license is a class B felony.

"Except as provided in sections 134-5 and 134-9, all firearms shall be confined to the possessor's place of business, residence, or sojourn... Any person violating this section by carrying or possessing a loaded or unloaded pistol or revolver shall be guilty of a class B felony."

HRS § 134-25 (Place to keep pistol or revolver) statute

HRS § 134-5 is the statutory exception referenced in § 134-25 and § 134-9 that lets a licensed hunter carry a lawfully acquired and registered rifle, shotgun, or pistol while actually engaged in hunting, target shooting at an authorized range, or traveling between place of repair and home/sojourn. Without this exception, the § 134-25 'place to keep' rule would prohibit all carry outside the home; § 134-5 also governs how minors may possess firearms under direct supervision. URL pattern matches the parent § 134-25 citation; verbatim text not re-fetched due to capitol.hawaii.gov Cloudflare protection.

"Except as provided in sections 134-5 and 134-9, all firearms shall be confined to the possessor's place of business, residence, or sojourn (cross-reference text from § 134-25)."

HRS § 134-5 (Possession of firearms and ammunition by licensed hunters and minors) statute

HRS § 134-7 is Hawaii's prohibited-persons statute referenced by § 134-9 as an eligibility bar for a License to Carry. It prohibits firearm or ammunition ownership, possession, or control by anyone under federal indictment or conviction for a felony or any 'crime of violence,' fugitives from justice, persons adjudicated mentally defective or treated for organic, behavioral, or other psychiatric disorders, persons addicted to controlled substances, and persons subject to certain restraining orders. Violation is a felony. URL pattern matches the parent § 134-9 citation; verbatim text not re-fetched due to capitol.hawaii.gov Cloudflare protection.

"Is not prohibited under section 134-7 from the ownership, possession, or control of a firearm and ammunition (cross-reference from § 134-9)."

HRS § 134-7 (Ownership or possession prohibited, when; penalty) statute

After Act 52 of 2023 (SB 1230), Hawaii operates a shall-issue concealed License to Carry. The chief of police of each county 'shall' grant a concealed-carry license to an applicant who is at least 21, a state resident, a U.S. citizen/national/lawful permanent resident, is not prohibited under § 134-7, is not lacking essential character/temperament under subsection (h), is the registered owner of the firearm(s), completes a certified course with live-fire proficiency and a 70% written examination, and signs a statutory affidavit acknowledging the laws on prohibited locations, duty to disclose, and use of deadly force. License is valid four years; nonrefundable application fee is $150 and renewal fee is $50.

"The chief of police of a county shall grant a license to an applicant to carry a pistol or revolver and ammunition concealed on the licensee's person within the State, if the applicant: (1) Satisfies each of the criteria established by or pursuant to subsection (d); (2) Is not prohibited under section 134-7 from the ownership, possession, or control of a firearm and ammunition; (3) Is not found to be lacking the essential character or temperament... (5) Is a resident of the State; and (6) Is of the age of twenty-one years or more."

HRS § 134-9 (Licenses to carry), as amended by Act 52, SLH 2023 statute

Act 52 of 2023 (SB 1230), approved June 2, 2023 and effective July 1, 2023 (Section 18; Sections 4 and 7 effective January 1, 2024), responded to the Supreme Court's Bruen decision by rewriting § 134-9 to remove the prior 'may issue' standard, adopt shall-issue criteria for concealed licenses, set a four-year license validity period, prescribe statutory course requirements, raise the application fee to $150, add a $50 renewal fee, and create the § 134-A 'sensitive places' framework (codified as § 134-9.1), the § 134-B duty-to-disclose, the § 134-C unattended-vehicle storage requirement, the § 134-D no-alcohol/no-controlled-substance-while-carrying rule, and the § 134-E private-property default-no rule (codified as § 134-9.5).

"The purpose of this Act is to clarify, revise, and update Hawaii's firearms laws to mitigate the serious hazards to public health, safety, and welfare associated with firearms and gun violence, while respecting and protecting the lawful exercise of individual rights."

Act 52, SLH 2023 (SB 1230) — License to Carry restructuring statute

Each Hawaii county police department administers the License to Carry. Honolulu PD requires in-person application at HPD Firearms Unit, a $150 fee, completion of a certified handgun safety training course, the affidavit of acknowledgment, mental health and HIPAA waivers, and a non-PO Box mailing address. Specific classroom-hour and live-fire round-count requirements are set by the chief of police 'Rules of the Chief,' not by statute.

"You must be 21 years or older to purchase a firearm... Statutory Reference: HRS 134-9 governs carry licenses; ACT 52 amended affidavit criteria."

Honolulu Police Department — Firearms (LTC application) ag

As of December 31, 2025, 3,764 Hawaii residents held a valid concealed License to Carry — 0.34% of the state's age-21-plus population. Honolulu issued 2,576 licenses, Hawai`i County 656, Kaua`i 293, Maui 239. In 2025, 1,994 new applications were received, 1,968 issued, 38 denied, and 8 revoked statewide. Total licensees grew 70.5% over 2024 (2,207).

"on December 31, 2025, a statewide total of 3,764 private persons possessed a valid license to carry (LTC) a concealed handgun, comprising 0.34% of the state's resident population of persons age 21 or older."

Hawaii AG — 2025 Annual License to Carry Statistics (News Release 2026-27) ag

Unconcealed (open) carry of a pistol or revolver requires a separate Hawaii License to Carry issued under § 134-9(b). The county chief of police 'may' grant an unconcealed-carry license only to an applicant who 'sufficiently establishes the urgency or need to carry a firearm unconcealed' and is engaged in protection of life and property — a discretionary, may-issue standard for the open-carry license type. Unconcealed carry under § 134-9(b) is geographically limited to the issuing county.

"The chief of police of a county may grant to an applicant a license to carry a pistol or revolver and ammunition unconcealed on the licensee's person within the county where the license is granted, if the applicant: (1) Sufficiently establishes the urgency or need to carry a firearm unconcealed; (2) Is engaged in the protection of life and property..."

HRS § 134-9(b) (Unconcealed License to Carry) statute

HRS § 134-23 is the parallel 'place to keep' statute for long guns referenced in the § 134-25 vehicle-transport entry. It confines loaded rifles and shotguns to the possessor's place of business, residence, or sojourn and authorizes only transport in an enclosed container (unloaded) between those places and a target range, dealer, gun show, training, or police station. Violation involving a loaded long gun is a class B felony; an unloaded long gun is a class C felony. URL pattern matches the parent § 134-25 citation; verbatim text not re-fetched due to capitol.hawaii.gov Cloudflare protection.

"Long-gun rules in § 134-23 are parallel (cross-reference from § 134-25 vehicle_carry entry)."

HRS § 134-23 (Place to keep loaded firearms other than pistols and revolvers) statute

Without a License to Carry, Hawaii law confines pistols and revolvers to the possessor's home, business, or sojourn. The only lawful vehicle transport is in an unloaded condition, in an enclosed container, between those places and a place of repair, target range, licensed dealer, scheduled gun show, formal training, or police station. Loaded vehicle carry without an LTC is a class B felony. Long-gun rules in § 134-23 are parallel.

"all firearms shall be confined to the possessor's place of business, residence, or sojourn; provided that it shall be lawful to carry unloaded firearms in an enclosed container from the place of purchase to the purchaser's place of business, residence, or sojourn... Any person violating this section by carrying or possessing a loaded or unloaded pistol or revolver shall be guilty of a class B felony."

HRS § 134-25 (Place to keep pistol or revolver — vehicle transport) statute

A licensee leaving a vehicle unattended must securely lock the firearm in a safe storage depository — a 'safe or other secure impact- and tamper-resistant container that, when locked, is incapable of being opened without a key, keypad, combination, or other unlocking mechanism' — that is out of sight from outside the vehicle. A vehicle's trunk or glove box alone, even if locked, is statutorily declared NOT a safe storage depository. Violation is a petty misdemeanor.

"A vehicle's trunk or glove box alone, even if locked, is not a safe storage depository."

HRS § 134-C (Leaving unsecured firearm in vehicle unattended), as enacted by Act 52, SLH 2023 statute

Hawaii has not enacted an employer parking-lot ('guns in trunks') statute protecting employees who store firearms in their personal vehicles at work. Employers may lawfully prohibit firearms on their property, including parking lots, and § 134-9.5 reinforces that a license holder may not enter private property with a firearm without express authorization from the owner, lessee, operator, or manager.

"A person carrying a firearm pursuant to a license issued under section 134-9 shall not intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly enter or remain on private property of another person while carrying a loaded or unloaded firearm... unless the person has been given express authorization to carry a firearm on the property by the owner, lessee, operator, or manager of the property."

Hawaii — no employer parking-lot statute statute

HRS § 134-11 is Hawaii's exemption statute referenced inside the reciprocity entry. Subsection (a)(6) is the narrow carve-out that exempts out-of-state law enforcement officers acting under an interstate compact or in official capacity from § 134-9's residency-only License to Carry rule. This is the only statutory pathway by which a non-resident may lawfully carry in Hawaii. URL pattern matches the parent § 134-9 citation; verbatim text not re-fetched due to capitol.hawaii.gov Cloudflare protection.

"the narrow compact provision in § 134-11(a)(6) (cross-reference from reciprocity entry)."

HRS § 134-11 (Exemptions; subsection (a)(6) interstate law enforcement compact) statute

Hawaii does not recognize any out-of-state concealed-carry permit and issues a License to Carry only to Hawaii residents. There is no reciprocity statute and no reciprocity matrix published by the AG; non-residents cannot carry concealed in Hawaii on the strength of any other state's permit. The only carve-out for out-of-state law enforcement is the narrow compact provision in § 134-11(a)(6).

"The chief of police of a county shall grant a license to an applicant to carry a pistol or revolver and ammunition concealed on the licensee's person within the State, if the applicant: ... (5) Is a resident of the State."

HRS § 134-9(a) and § 134-9(d) — Hawaii residency requirement statute

Hawaii recognizes a limited castle doctrine through the dwelling/place-of-work exception to its general duty-to-retreat rule: a defender is not obliged to retreat from the defender's own dwelling or place of work before using deadly force in justified self-defense, unless the defender was the initial aggressor (or, for the workplace exception, the assailant's workplace is also the defender's).

"The actor is not obliged to retreat from his dwelling or place of work, unless he was the initial aggressor or is assailed in his place of work by another person whose place of work the actor knows it to be."

HRS § 703-304(5)(b)(i) statute

Hawaii is NOT a stand-your-ground state. Outside the home or workplace, deadly force is not justified if the actor knows that the actor can avoid the necessity of using deadly force with complete safety by retreating, surrendering possession to a person asserting a claim of right, or complying with a demand to abstain from an action that the actor has no duty to take. Hawaii imposes a duty to retreat in public.

"The use of deadly force is not justifiable under this section if: ... (b) The actor knows that he can avoid the necessity of using such force with complete safety by retreating or by surrendering possession of a thing to a person asserting a claim of right thereto or by complying with a demand that he abstain from any action which he has no duty to take, except that: (i) The actor is not obliged to retreat from his dwelling or place of work."

HRS § 703-304(5)(b) (Use of force in self-protection — retreat required) statute

A person carrying a firearm under a § 134-9 license who is stopped by a law enforcement officer — or is a driver or passenger in a vehicle stopped by an officer — shall immediately disclose to the officer that the person is carrying a firearm and, upon request, identify the firearm's location and present the license and government-issued photo ID. Violation is a petty misdemeanor.

"When a person carrying a firearm... is stopped by a law enforcement officer or is a driver or passenger in a vehicle stopped by a law enforcement officer, the person carrying a firearm shall immediately disclose to the law enforcement officer that the person is carrying a firearm."

HRS § 134-B (Duty to maintain possession of license while carrying a firearm; duty to disclose), as enacted by Act 52, SLH 2023 statute

Even with a License to Carry, a person may not carry a loaded or unloaded firearm in 15 categories of sensitive locations, including government buildings; hospitals and medical facilities; detention facilities; bars and restaurants serving alcohol; stadiums, movie theaters, concert halls, and sporting events; public libraries; colleges and universities; K-12 schools, preschools, summer camps, and child-care facilities; beaches, playgrounds, parks, and state/county recreation property; shelters; voter service centers and polling places; banks and financial institutions; public transportation; amusement parks, aquariums, museums, water parks, and zoos; and permitted public gatherings, marches, rallies, and assemblies. Each category extends to adjacent parking areas. Violation is a misdemeanor.

"A person with a license issued under section 134-9... shall not intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly carry or possess a loaded or unloaded firearm, whether the firearm is operable or not, and whether the firearm is concealed or unconcealed, while in any of the following locations and premises within the State: (1) Any building or office owned, leased, or used by the State or a county..."

HRS § 134-9.1 (Sensitive places), as enacted by Act 52, SLH 2023 statute

Hawaii uses a 'default-no' rule for private property: a licensee may not carry on another person's private property without express written or verbal authorization, or clear and conspicuous signage at the entrance indicating that carry is authorized. The 9th Circuit upheld this default rule in Wolford v. Lopez (Sept. 6, 2024). Violation is a misdemeanor.

"A person carrying a firearm pursuant to a license issued under section 134-9 shall not intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly enter or remain on private property of another person while carrying a loaded or unloaded firearm... unless the person has been given express authorization to carry a firearm on the property by the owner, lessee, operator, or manager of the property."

HRS § 134-9.5 (Carrying a firearm on private property without authorization), as enacted by Act 52, SLH 2023 statute

In a published opinion filed September 6, 2024, the Ninth Circuit (Graber, J.) largely reversed the district court's preliminary injunction against Act 52's sensitive-place provisions. The court affirmed the injunction only as to financial institutions, parking lots adjacent to financial institutions, and parking lots shared by government and non-government buildings; it reversed the injunction for bars and restaurants serving alcohol, beaches and parks, and parking adjacent to those places, and it reversed the injunction against the private-property default-no rule. Hawaii therefore may currently enforce most § 134-9.1 sensitive-place restrictions but cannot enforce the financial-institution restriction.

"Applying these principles to the Hawaii statute, the panel affirmed the district court's preliminary injunction to the extent that it enjoins restrictions on firearms at financial institutions, parking lots adjacent to financial institutions, and parking lots shared by government buildings and non-governmental buildings. The panel reversed the preliminary injunction to the extent that it enjoins restrictions on firearms at bars and restaurants that serve alcohol; at beaches, parks, and similar areas; and in parking areas adjacent to all of those places."

Wolford v. Lopez, 116 F.4th 959 (9th Cir. 2024) court

Hawaii effectively requires a universal background check on all firearm acquisitions because no person — whether buying from an FFL, a private party, by inheritance, or otherwise — may acquire ownership of a firearm without first obtaining a Permit to Acquire from the county chief of police. The chief runs the applicant through NCIC, NICS, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement databases, with a 14-day minimum wait between application and issuance.

"No person shall acquire the ownership of a firearm... until the person has first procured from the chief of police... a permit to acquire the ownership of a firearm... no permit shall be issued to an applicant earlier than fourteen calendar days after the date of the application; provided that a permit shall be issued or the application denied before the fortieth day from the date of application."

HRS § 134-2 (Permit to Acquire) — universal in-state requirement statute

Hawaii requires applicants for a Permit to Acquire any firearm (handgun, rifle, or shotgun) to be U.S. citizens, nationals, or lawful permanent residents 21 years of age or older. Because a Permit to Acquire is required for ALL acquisitions in Hawaii, the practical minimum purchase age in Hawaii is 21 for both handguns and long guns — higher than the federal long-gun minimum.

"The chief of police of the respective counties shall issue permits to acquire firearms to: (1) Citizens, nationals, or lawful permanent residents of the United States of the age of twenty-one years or more."

HRS § 134-2(d)(1) (Minimum age 21 for Permit to Acquire) statute

Federal law requires a federally licensed dealer to sell handguns only to buyers 21 and older and long guns to buyers 18 and older. Hawaii's § 134-2 Permit to Acquire raises the long-gun age floor to 21 by requiring a state permit before any acquisition.

"A licensee may not sell a handgun to anyone under the age of 21. A licensee may not sell a long gun to anyone under the age of 18."

18 U.S.C. § 922(b)(1) (federal FFL purchase ages) atf

Hawaii requires every firearm — modern or antique, usable or not — to be registered with the chief of police of the county of business, residence, or sojourn. New residents and persons arriving from out of state must register and physically present every firearm within five days of arrival. Persons who acquire a firearm under § 134-2 must register the firearm within five days of acquisition. Fingerprinting and photographing are required.

"Every resident or other person arriving in the State who brings or by any other manner causes to be brought into the State a firearm of any description... shall register and submit to physical inspection the firearm within five days after arrival of the person or of the firearm, whichever arrives later, with the chief of police of the county."

HRS § 134-3 (Registration, mandatory) statute

HRS § 134-65 is the operative issuance statute referenced inside the § 134-61 definition entry. After a noticed hearing, the family court may issue a one-year gun violence protective order on clear and convincing evidence that the respondent poses a danger of causing personal injury to self or another by owning, possessing, or controlling a firearm or ammunition. Companion sections govern the ex parte order (§ 134-63), surrender procedure (§ 134-67), and renewal (§ 134-66). URL pattern matches the parent § 134-61 citation; verbatim text not re-fetched due to capitol.hawaii.gov Cloudflare protection.

"'One-year gun violence protective order' means an order issued by the family court, pursuant to section 134-65 (cross-reference from § 134-61 definition)."

HRS § 134-65 (Issuance of one-year gun violence protective order) statute

Hawaii has an extreme risk / red flag law. HRS Chapter 134, Part IV authorizes the family court to issue ex parte and one-year gun violence protective orders prohibiting the respondent from owning, purchasing, possessing, receiving, or controlling firearms or ammunition. Petitioners include law enforcement, family or household members, medical professionals, educators, and colleagues. Enacted as Act 150, Session Laws of Hawaii 2019.

"'One-year gun violence protective order' means an order issued by the family court, pursuant to section 134-65, prohibiting the respondent from owning, purchasing, possessing, receiving, or having in the respondent's custody or control any firearm or ammunition for a period of one year."

HRS § 134-61 et seq. (Gun Violence Protective Orders), enacted by Act 150, SLH 2019 statute

Hawaii bans 'assault pistols' — defined in HRS § 134-1 as a semiautomatic pistol that accepts a detachable magazine and has two or more enumerated features (external magazine, threaded barrel, barrel shroud, unloaded weight of 50 ounces or more, centerfire pistol 12+ inches overall length, or a semiautomatic version of an automatic firearm). Hawaii does NOT impose a state-level assault-rifle or assault-shotgun ban, but rifles with barrels under 16 inches and shotguns with barrels under 18 inches are independently banned under § 134-8(a).

"'Assault pistol' means a semiautomatic pistol that accepts a detachable magazine and has two or more of the following characteristics: (1) An ammunition magazine that attaches to the pistol outside of the pistol grip; (2) A threaded barrel capable of accepting a barrel extender, flash suppressor, forward hand grip, or silencer..."

HRS § 134-1 and HRS § 134-8(a) ('Assault pistol' definition and ban) statute

Hawaii prohibits manufacture, possession, sale, or transfer of any detachable ammunition magazine with a capacity over ten rounds that is 'designed for or capable of use with a pistol.' The statute does not impose a magazine limit on rifle or shotgun magazines. Violation is generally a misdemeanor, but a class C felony if the over-ten-round pistol magazine is inserted into a pistol.

"The manufacture, possession, sale, barter, trade, gift, transfer, or acquisition of detachable ammunition magazines with a capacity in excess of ten rounds that are designed for or capable of use with a pistol shall be prohibited."

HRS § 134-8(c) (Pistol magazine capacity limit) statute

HRS § 134-4 governs lawful transfer and possession of firearms; subsection (e) — referenced inside the § 134-8(a) ban — is the limited grandfather clause that preserves possession of 'assault pistols' lawfully acquired and registered before specified cutoff dates. Without § 134-4(e), no Hawaii resident could lawfully retain a pre-ban assault pistol. URL pattern matches the parent § 134-8(a) citation; verbatim text not re-fetched due to capitol.hawaii.gov Cloudflare protection.

"assault pistols, except as provided by section 134-4(e) (cross-reference from § 134-8(a))."

HRS § 134-4 (Transfer, possession of firearms; exceptions; subsection (e) grandfather clause) statute

Hawaii independently prohibits possession of automatic firearms, assault pistols (except as grandfathered in § 134-4(e)), rifles with barrels less than 16 inches, shotguns with barrels less than 18 inches, silencers/suppressors, cannons, ghost guns, hand grenades, and Teflon-coated or explosive ammunition. Violation is a class C felony with a mandatory five-year term without probation. Federal NFA registration is not a defense at the state level — these items remain banned in Hawaii regardless of federal compliance.

"The manufacture, possession, sale, barter, trade, gift, transfer, or acquisition of any of the following shall be prohibited: assault pistols, except as provided by section 134-4(e); automatic firearms; rifles with barrel lengths less than sixteen inches; ghost guns; shotguns with barrel lengths less than eighteen inches; cannons; mufflers, silencers, or devices for deadening or muffling the sound of discharged firearms..."

HRS § 134-8(a) (Automatic firearms, silencers, short-barreled rifles/shotguns prohibited) statute

Suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and machine guns are regulated federally under the NFA. Hawaii's independent state-level prohibition in HRS § 134-8(a) means these items are banned in Hawaii even if a Hawaii resident were to obtain federal ATF approval.

"The National Firearms Act (NFA) imposes a statutory excise tax on the manufacture and transfer of certain firearms and mandates the registration of those firearms."

26 U.S.C. ch. 53 (National Firearms Act) / ATF atf

Hawaii preempts county ordinances that establish locations where the carrying of firearms is prohibited if inconsistent with HRS §§ 134-9.1 or 134-9.5; such ordinances are void to the extent of the inconsistency. Counties retain authority to administer the LTC and PA permit programs.

"If any ordinance of any county of the State establishing locations where the carrying of firearms is prohibited is inconsistent with this section or with section 134-9.5, the ordinance shall be void to the extent of the inconsistency."

HRS § 134-9.1(g) (Preemption of inconsistent county ordinances) statute

HRS § 134-27 is the companion 'place to keep' statute for ammunition, paired with § 134-25 in the State v. Wilson case summary. It confines ammunition to the possessor's place of business, residence, or sojourn, with the same hunting/target-range/repair exceptions as § 134-25. Carrying ammunition outside those locations without a License to Carry is a class C felony for a first offense. URL pattern matches the parent § 134-25 citation; verbatim text not re-fetched due to capitol.hawaii.gov Cloudflare protection.

"federal Bruen-based challenges to §§ 134-25 and 134-27 were also rejected (cross-reference from State v. Wilson entry)."

HRS § 134-27 (Place to keep ammunition) statute

Effective July 1, 2023 (with §§ 4 and 7 effective January 1, 2024), Act 52 rewrote § 134-9 to make Hawaii a shall-issue jurisdiction for concealed carry, enumerated 15 categories of statutory sensitive places (§ 134-A, codified as § 134-9.1), set the default rule that licensees may not carry on private property without express authorization (§ 134-E, codified as § 134-9.5), imposed an immediate duty to disclose carry to law enforcement during a stop (§ 134-B), prohibited carrying while consuming or under the influence of alcohol or controlled substances (§ 134-D), and required licensees to use a safe storage depository — not a glove box or trunk alone — when leaving firearms unattended in a vehicle (§ 134-C).

"This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2023; provided that: (1) Sections 4 and 7 shall take effect on January 1, 2024."

Act 52, SLH 2023 (SB 1230) — Bruen-response License to Carry overhaul statute

The Hawai`i Supreme Court held on February 7, 2024 that Article I, § 17 of the Hawai`i Constitution does NOT confer an independent state constitutional right to carry a firearm in public, even though its text mirrors the federal Second Amendment. The court reversed the trial court's dismissal of place-to-keep firearm and ammunition charges, finding that Hawai`i's historical tradition of firearm regulation rules out an individual carry right under the state constitution; federal Bruen-based challenges to §§ 134-25 and 134-27 were also rejected on the facts presented.

"We hold that in Hawai`i there is no state constitutional right to carry a firearm in public... Conventional interpretive modalities and Hawai`i's historical tradition of firearm regulation rule out an individual right to keep and bear arms under the Hawai`i Constitution."

State v. Wilson, SCAP-22-0000561 (Haw. Feb. 7, 2024) court

On September 6, 2024 the Ninth Circuit reversed in large part the district court's preliminary injunction against Act 52's sensitive-place restrictions. Hawai`i may currently enforce the bans at bars and restaurants, beaches, parks, and adjacent parking areas, and the private-property default rule. The injunction stands only for financial institutions, parking lots adjacent to financial institutions, and parking lots shared by government and non-government buildings.

"the panel affirmed the district court's preliminary injunction to the extent that it enjoins restrictions on firearms at financial institutions, parking lots adjacent to financial institutions, and parking lots shared by government buildings and non-governmental buildings. The panel reversed the preliminary injunction to the extent that it enjoins restrictions on firearms at bars and restaurants that serve alcohol; at beaches, parks, and similar areas; and in parking areas adjacent to all of those places. The panel also reversed the preliminary injunction with respect to the new default rule prohibiting the carry of firearms onto private property without consent."

Wolford v. Lopez, 116 F.4th 959 (9th Cir. Sept. 6, 2024) court

Act 150 of 2019 created Hawai`i's Gun Violence Protective Order ('red flag') framework in HRS Chapter 134, Part IV, authorizing the family court to bar a respondent from owning, possessing, receiving, or controlling firearms or ammunition for one year (with ex parte orders pending hearing) on petition by law enforcement, family or household members, medical professionals, educators, or colleagues.

"[L 2019, c 150, pt of §2]"

Act 150, SLH 2019 — Gun Violence Protective Orders statute

Act 18 of 2025 amended HRS § 134-1 and § 134-8 to add 'ghost gun' to Hawaii's banned list (firearms or frames/receivers not imprinted with a serial number registered with a federally licensed manufacturer), and tightened the assault-pistol definition. Possession of a ghost gun is a class C felony with a five-year mandatory term, subject to an affirmative defense for licensed manufacturers/dealers and firearms not required to bear a serial number under federal law.

Act 18, Session Laws of Hawaii 2025

The Ninth Circuit reversed in large part the district court's preliminary injunction against Act 52's sensitive-place restrictions. Hawaii may now enforce carry bans at bars and restaurants serving alcohol, beaches and parks, and adjacent parking areas, as well as the private-property default-no rule. The preliminary injunction stands only as to financial institutions, parking lots adjacent to financial institutions, and parking lots shared by government and non-government buildings.

Wolford v. Lopez, 116 F.4th 959 (9th Cir. 2024)

In State v. Wilson, SCAP-22-0000561, the Hawaii Supreme Court held that Article I, § 17 of the Hawaii Constitution does not confer an independent state constitutional right to carry a firearm in public, despite mirroring the federal Second Amendment. State-law challenges to Hawaii's place-to-keep statutes (HRS §§ 134-25 and 134-27) thus fail under state constitutional grounds; federal Second Amendment challenges proceed under Bruen.

State v. Wilson, 154 Hawai'i 8, 543 P.3d 440 (2024)

Act 52 of 2023 (SB 1230) rewrote HRS § 134-9 to make Hawaii a shall-issue jurisdiction for concealed carry while simultaneously enacting an extensive 'sensitive places' list (§ 134-A, codified as § 134-9.1), a private-property default-no-carry rule (§ 134-E, codified as § 134-9.5), a statutory duty for license holders to disclose carry to police during stops (§ 134-B), a no-alcohol/no-controlled-substance rule while carrying (§ 134-D), and a vehicle safe-storage requirement when leaving a firearm unattended (§ 134-C). LTC validity set to four years; application fee raised to $150.

Act 52, Session Laws of Hawaii 2023

Act 150 of 2019 created Hawaii's red-flag framework in HRS Chapter 134, Part IV (§§ 134-61 to 134-74), authorizing the family court to issue ex parte and one-year gun violence protective orders prohibiting the respondent from owning, possessing, receiving, or controlling firearms or ammunition. Petitioners include law enforcement, family or household members, medical professionals, educators, and colleagues.

Act 150, Session Laws of Hawaii 2019