Firearm registrations in Hawaii were up again in 2021

Firearm registrations in Hawaii were up nearly 7% in 2021, continuing a trend of increasing gun ownership that has stretched over two decades, the state Attorney General’s Office reported Tuesday.

The numbers are found in the office’s annual report on statewide and county firearm registration statistics for 2021. Hawaii is the only state in the nation that requires all firearms to be registered.

Even though registrations grew in 2021, fewer gun permits were issued in Hawaii, with the permits used to acquire more firearms.

The permits issued statewide in 2021 accounted for 57,091 firearms registered throughout the year, a 6.8% increase from the 53,481 firearms registered during 2020.

At the same time, 23,299 personal/private firearm permit applications were processed statewide during 2021 — a 10.8% drop from 26,122 applications processed in 2020, according to the report.

“The number of firearms applications processed by HPD peaked two years ago but came back down in 2021, and the number of firearms registered annually peaked in 2013 and has since stayed below that level,” Honolulu Police Chief Joe Logan told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser in a statement. “Our firearms staff works tirelessly to process applications and registrations.”

There were 22,393 permits issued last year.

The report indicates that firearm registrations have increased dramatically over the past two decades. From 2000 through 2021 the number of statewide annual permit applications processed ballooned by 253.1%, while the number of annually registered firearms swelled by 319.3% and the number of firearms brought into the state rose by 303.2%.

Andrew Roberts, a director with the Hawaii Firearms Coalition, said the islands are following a nationwide trend in which the number of guns purchased has doubled since the 1980s.

“It’s a sign that an increasing number of people are more concerned about crime and the safety of the family,” Roberts said. “There is a lot more interest in handgun classes and firearm education.”

It’s hard to say how many guns exist in Hawaii. According to the report, independent estimates by the Department of the Attorney General and the Honolulu Police Department in the late ’90s offered a conservative number of privately owned firearms in Hawaii of at least 1 million.

“Beyond that it’s anybody’s guess,” said Paul Perrone, chief of research and statistics in the Attorney General’s Office.

From 2000 to 2021, 754,329 firearms were registered (including some more than once, by different owners), and 394,255 were brought into the state, while an unknown number of firearms permanently left the state, according to the report.

In a surprising statistic, the report indicates that Kauai County in 2021 approved two applications allowing private citizens to carry firearms in public. That is a rare event, as Hawaii police departments previously approved only four such permits in the past couple of decades.

The U.S. Supreme Court in June overturned Hawaii’s law restricting who can carry a handgun in public, and Hawaii’s police departments are now working on the requirements for the issuance of the new permits.

Asked about the status of concealed-carry permits Thursday morning on KHVH radio, Logan said he expects to begin issuing carry permits by the end of the month. He said the permits are likely to require training and a level of gun proficiency.

As of Tuesday morning HPD had received 298 applications for concealed carry, most of which came in following the Supreme Court ruling.

Roberts estimated that 50,000 to 60,000 people in the state are interested in carrying a handgun in public, and the Hawaii Firearm Association is aiming to help 20,000 obtain their permits by the end of the year with training and assistance.

Other statistics in the firearms report:

>> Of the permit applications processed in 2021, 96.1% were approved and resulted in issued permits; 1.3% were approved but later voided after the applicants failed to return for their permits within a specified time period; and 2.6% were denied due to one or more disqualifying factors.

>> Just over half (29,143, or 51%) of the firearms registered during 2021 were imported from out of state, with the rest being transfers of firearms that were previously registered in Hawaii.

>> Rifles and shotguns comprised 43.2% (24,678) and 12.1% (6,922) of total registrations, respectively. The remaining 44.6% (25,491) of firearms registered throughout 2021 were handguns.

>> Maui County recorded record-high totals of firearms registered, imported and permit applications processed in 2021.

>> The most cited reason for denying a firearm permit was the use of medical cannabis (213 times), followed by a mental health-­related issue (185 times) and other criminal offenses (157 times).

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Star-Advertiser staff writer Peter Boylan contributed to this story.