Hawaii Gun Laws: Concealed Carry, Open Carry and Buying a Gun

No. Outside the possessor's place of business, residence or sojourn, firearms must be kept confined there and may be carried only unloaded in an enclosed container for listed trips, unless the person holds a license to carry under § 134-9. Carrying or possessing a pistol or revolver in violation of this rule is a class B felony.

License to carry a concealed pistol or revolver, issued by the chief of police of the county; the chief 'shall grant' a concealed carry license to an applicant who qualifies (shall-issue), including being a U.S. citizen, national or lawful permanent resident, a resident of Hawaii, at least 21, not prohibited from possessing firearms, and not lacking the character or temperament to be trusted with a firearm. The applicant must be the registered owner of the firearm and complete a training course with in-person instruction on firearm safety, handling and shooting technique, a written exam (score of at least 70%), and live-fire shooting exercises on a range. Fees: $150 nonrefundable application fee; $50 renewal fee. The license expires four years from the date of issue unless renewed and is valid statewide.

Only with an unconcealed carry license, which the chief of police 'may' grant to an applicant at least 21 who sufficiently establishes the urgency or need to carry a firearm unconcealed and is engaged in the protection of life and property (discretionary). Otherwise firearms must be kept at home, business or place of sojourn and transported unloaded in an enclosed container.

21 for all firearms. A permit to acquire is required to obtain ownership of any firearm, and citizens, nationals and lawful permanent residents must be 21 or older to receive it (certain aliens may receive permits at 18 for rifles and shotguns for hunting). Because the permit covers purchases, gifts, inheritance and every other manner of acquisition, the age rule applies to private transfers too.

Yes, for all acquisitions. No person may acquire ownership of a firearm, by purchase, gift, inheritance, bequest or any other manner, without first obtaining a permit to acquire from the county chief of police (an heir may transfer an inherited firearm directly to a licensed dealer without a permit). A pistol or revolver permit is void unless used within 30 days and covers one transaction; a rifle or shotgun permit covers purchases for one year. Applicants must have completed, within four years before issuance, an approved hunter education course (rifles and shotguns) or an approved firearms training course (pistols and revolvers; the instructor-led option requires at least four hours of classroom instruction and two hours of firing training). The only fee is a single county fee equal to the Hawaii criminal justice data center fee.

No permit to acquire may be issued earlier than fourteen calendar days after the date of application (all firearm types); the permit must be issued or denied before the 40th day. Exceptions include dealers, law enforcement officers, and firearms already registered under § 134-3(a).

Yes (gun violence protective orders). A law enforcement officer, a family or household member of the respondent, a medical professional, an educator, or a colleague (someone who works at the same business or workplace) may petition. A court may issue a temporary ex parte order if the respondent poses an imminent danger of causing bodily injury with access to firearms or ammunition; a hearing must be held within 14 days to decide whether to issue a one-year order.

Assault pistols are banned (manufacture, possession, sale, transfer or acquisition), as are automatic firearms and rifles with barrels under 16 inches (class C felony, five years without probation). Detachable magazines with a capacity of more than ten rounds that are designed for or capable of use with a pistol are banned (misdemeanor; class C felony if inserted into a pistol). There is no general ban on assault rifles or rifle magazines in this section.

Without a carry license, firearms may be carried only unloaded in an enclosed container (a rigidly constructed receptacle or commercially manufactured gun case that completely encloses the firearm) between the possessor's place of purchase, business, residence or sojourn, or to and from a place of repair, target range, licensed dealer, firearms show, hunter or firearm training, or police station. Licensees may carry in the immediate area around their vehicle in a parking area to store or retrieve the firearm.

None. Hawaii has no state law that honors carry licenses issued by other states, and a concealed carry license under § 134-9 requires the applicant to be a Hawaii resident.

Licensees may not carry in: state or county buildings and grounds; hospitals, mental health facilities, nursing homes, clinics and medical offices; jails and correctional facilities; bars and restaurants serving alcohol for on-site consumption; stadiums, movie theaters, concert halls and sports venues during events; public libraries; college and university campuses; schools, preschools, summer camps and child care facilities; beaches, playgrounds, parks, pools, golf courses, tennis courts and other public recreation areas (target ranges excepted); shelters for unhoused people, domestic violence victims or children; voter service centers and polling places; banks and financial institutions; public transit vehicles and facilities including airports (unloaded firearms in locked hard-sided cases excepted); amusement parks, aquariums, fairs, museums, water parks and zoos; and posted permitted public gatherings such as rallies. Most items include adjacent parking areas. Private property rule: § 134-9.5 bars licensees from private property without the owner's express authorization, but on June 25, 2026 the U.S. Supreme Court held in Wolford v. Lopez that Hawaii's law prohibiting licensees from carrying handguns on private property open to the public without the owner's express authorization violates the Second and Fourteenth Amendments.

Unless licensed as a firearms manufacturer or federal dealer, no person may, in order to assemble a firearm, possess, buy, make (including with a three-dimensional printer) or obtain separately or in a kit a firearm receiver without a serial number registered with a federally licensed manufacturer or assigned under § 134-3(c), or a combination of parts from which an unserialized firearm can be readily assembled. Violation is a class C felony.