Hawai‘i Firearm Permits and Registrations Declined in 2017

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Firearm permits and registrations fell by 23.2 percent in 2017, according to a new report detailing statewide and county registrations released by the Department of the Attorney General.

The report found that 16,443 personal firearm permit applications were processed in Hawai‘i during calendar year 2017. Of these, 96 percent were approved for permits; 2.2 percent were approved but voided after applicants failed to return for their permits; and 1.7 percent were denied due to disqualifying factors.

The top three disqualifying factors for persons denied a permit included: mental health diagnoses or treatment histories including substance abuse, convictions or pending cases for specific criminal offenses, and medical marijuana licenses that were certified within one year of the firearms application.

The total number of permits issued in 2017 cover 40,365 firearms, marking a 23.9 percent decrease in registered guns from 2016. Roughly half of these guns were imported from out-of-state, according to the report.

Long-term analysis reveals a dramatic increase in gun registration during the 18 years since registration and permit data has been gathered and reported in Hawai‘i. From 2000 to 2017, the number of statewide permit applications processed each year climbed by 153 percent; the annual number of firearms registered soared 198.4 percent; and the annual number of firearms imported surged by 192.5 percent.

In 2017, falsified criminal or mental health information accounted for 41.7 percent of the 283 cases denied. Falsified information pertaining to anything other than criminal or mental health histories was provided in 1.4 percent of the cases. No falsified information was provided in 56.9 percent of the cases.

Under state law, it is a misdemeanor offense to provide false information on a firearm permit application. False information regarding criminal or mental health histories is a felony offense under federal law.