Concerns about personal defense, gun shortages or federal restrictions on gun ownership could be driving continued increases in firearm ownership in Hawaii, gun enthusiasts say.
The state Department of the Attorney General reported Tuesday record levels of firearm registrations and permit applications in 2011.
A record 36,804 guns were registered in Hawaii in 2011 — a 17.2 percent increase from the previous high, set the year before.
A record 15,375 firearm permit applications were processed in 2011 — a 20.1 percent increase from the previous high in 2010.
By comparison, Hawaii residents in 2000 registered 13,617 firearms and submitted 6,489 permit applications, the department said.
There is no tally of the number of privately owned guns in Hawaii, because there is no way to track how many guns are taken out of the state, the state report said. But independent estimates made in the late 1990s by the attorney general and Honolulu police placed the total at about 1 million, the department said.
Wait lists to use the Koko Head Shooting Range, Honolulu’s only public shooting range, are now common, said Russell Takata, president of the Chinese Gun Club of Hawaii.
Takata said more people have also gotten into guns because they are taking an interest in personal defense.
Daniel Oshima, owner of Kaneohe Gun Shop, said firearm sales have gone up in part for political reasons and also a fear of gun shortages.
"There’s almost an unnecessary concern about doomsday," Oshima said, "whether it’s a Mayan calendar doomsday or a natural-disaster doomsday that could happen any time this year."
He said although anxieties are driving sales, he’s not "extremely excited" about it because some people are rushing to stores, without proper training, and buying everything they can from gun stores willing to sell those people anything they can.
"That becomes more dangerous," said Oshima, who said he practices ethical firearm sales. He encouraged people to further their gun education with more classes beyond the required firearm class.
The attorney general’s report also said:
» Just less than half — or 17,949 — of the firearms registered in 2011 were brought in from out of state. The remaining 18,855 registrations were in-state ownership transfers of guns already in Hawaii.
» In 2011 there were 23,470 firearms registered in Honolulu County, 6,603 in Hawaii County, 4,569 in Maui County and 2,099 in Kauai County.
» Honolulu police confiscated seven prohibited firearms in 2011, while Maui police seized one. All eight confiscated firearms were "assault pistols," which are prohibited by state law.
Takata said the increase in gun sales has made the availability of safe ranges more crucial.
"The range is very important," he said of the city’s Koko Head Shooting Range. "When you see all these people waiting, the danger is that you can have some folks that might think, ‘Well, it’s too busy there, lets just go out in the back there.’ That’s really dangerous here, especially being that everything is so close.
"Firearms use (on Oahu) is not like in open areas like Montana. We have too many developments here."
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Star-Advertiser reporter Gregg K. Kakesako contributed to this report.
