Gun registrations in isles decline for the first time in 8 years

Gun dealers in Hawaii say an ammunition shortage, especially for .22-caliber bullets, continues even as firearm permit applications declined in 2014 — the first drop for the islands in eight years.

Firearm applications and registrations both fell in Hawaii in 2014 after a record year in 2013, according to the state attorney general’s annual firearm registrations report released Wednesday.

Fifteen percent fewer firearm applications were processed and 20 percent fewer firearms were registered in 2014, the report said.

That year, 19,365 firearm applications were processed and 48,324 firearms were registered statewide, the report said. In 2013, 22,765 applications were processed (an increase of about 1,000 from 2012) and 60,757 firearms were registered (an increase of about 10,000 from 2012).

The report said officials estimate about 1 million privately owned firearms are in Hawaii, according to data from the late 1990s.

Paul Perrone, chief of research and statistics for the Attorney General’s Office, said despite the drop last year, gun registrations still remain high.

Registrations have more than tripled and applications increased nearly threefold since the Attorney General’s Office began collecting firearm registration data in 2000.

Before 2014, the last decline in applications was in 2006 when 8,049 applications were processed, a drop of about 600 from the previous year.

Max Cooper, of the Hawaii Rifle Association, said the number of registrations issued correlates with political situations, and the spike in 2013 was prompted by a proposal for a federal firearm regulation following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in December 2012. The legislation did not pass.

"People probably just decided they had enough firearms," he said of the decrease in registrations.

Despite the drop in registrations, Sean Stueber, owner of Stuebs’ Guns & Ammo in Hilo, said gun sales remained strong last year and have been 10 percent higher this year compared to last year.

He said a shortage of ammunition followed the gun sales spike in 2013 when manufacturers couldn’t keep up with demand and still haven’t caught up.

He said .22-caliber bullets are popular for target shooting practice for young children because they have a light recoil and are cheap. (They are not legal for hunting under certain conditions in Hawaii.) They sell for about $30 for 500 rounds, while the next cheapest type is about $120 for 500 rounds, Stueber said.

Every month, he can obtain only one or two cases of 5,000 rounds each, and the bullets sell out within minutes, he said.

The bullet shortage also is dampening sales of .22-caliber firearms.

"It’s frustrating to people," Stueber said.

Wes Duarte, owner of Kona Guns and Ammo, said firearm sales hit a national record in 2013, and at the height of the gun-buying frenzy, wholesalers on the mainland had no handguns in their inventory. Now there are about 800 different types of handguns available, he said.

"After that (federal) ban didn’t pass, a lot of people didn’t care about guns anymore," he said.

But the shortage of .22-caliber ammunition continues to be a "huge problem," he said.

Duarte spoke with ammunition manufacturers and was told they are operating at full capacity and won’t be expanding their operations because it would cost too much. He doesn’t expect the bullet shortage to be resolved for years.

"It’s a bummer for people who are in this industry. It was a great caliber to practice with and have fun with," he said. "Now that it’s not available, it’s tough."

The attorney general’s report also said no one was granted a license to carry a concealed weapon in Hawaii in 2014. Nineteen citizens in Honolulu and two on Kauai applied, but were denied by the county police chiefs.

Perrone, of the Attorney General’s Office, said in the past decade only two citizens have been granted a concealed-carry permit. Both were in Kauai, in 2006 and 2013.

The concealed-carry permit for citizens is separate from the federal Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act, which allows a qualified law enforcement officer or retired law enforcement officer to carry a concealed firearm in any jurisdiction in the U.S.

Deputy Attorney General Christopher Young said the state issues annual certifications, which require tests for shooting ability and firearm knowledge, for retired officers to carry concealed weapons if their former department doesn’t issue certifications, such as Hawaii police departments, federal agencies and many mainland police departments.

Young said fewer than 100 certifications have been issued in Hawaii every year since 2010. Certifications issued each year numbered 61 in 2012, 81 in 2013 and 75 in 2014.

Retired officers who receive certifications to carry firearms from their former departments do not need certifications from Hawaii. Young said it was not known how many people are carrying concealed weapons with those certifications.