The Honolulu Police Department approved 409 concealed-carry weapon licenses for 599 firearms through Wednesday, and officers hope to clear the current list of applicants by August, according to Police Chief Arthur “Joe” Logan.

Since the city started accepting applications, 1,094 have been submitted for 1,500 firearms.

“We brought over multiple people into the Records and Identification Division. We basically shifted the jobs of certain individuals … to only do these applications,” Logan told Honolulu Police Commission members during their meeting Wednesday. “There will be some denials, I’m sure, in there.”

The added personnel and some overtime helped the department process 175 applications in the past two weeks alone.

Commission Vice Chair Kenneth Silva lauded Logan’s report and HPD’s progress.

“That’s pretty significant in a two-week period. You’re taking steps to remedy (the application backlog),” he said.

Any application HPD receives is valid for 90 days.

In November, amendments to Chapter 15 of the Rules of the Chief of Police were finalized, the first changes since the administration of former Chief Francis Keala in 1982. The amendments cleared the way for HPD to process concealed-carry applications, and the department began issuing licenses Dec. 29.

The changes helped HPD comply with the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2022 ruling in the case of New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen. The court struck down a New York state law limiting who can have a permit to carry a pistol outside their home.

Honolulu was the last county in Hawaii to begin issuing concealed-carry weapon licenses because it had to follow county procedures for amending the chief’s rules.

Logan has said HPD took a patient approach to ensure it balanced the Second Amendment rights of gun owners to bear arms against public safety concerns and Hawaii’s culture in which residents are unaccustomed to anyone but law enforcement carrying guns in public.

The processing of the applications was being managed with the resources the department already allocated for firearm registration and permitting.

Applicants and gun owners told commissioners and police that the high court ruling last year made granting licenses in fast fashion a top priority for the licensing body.

Commissioner Ann Botticelli noted the staffing challenges facing HPD and asked Logan where the new manpower to handle the applications came from.

“Where are you taking these people from in order to satisfy this demand and … backlog?” she asked during the meeting.

Without providing a specific number of sworn officers whose duties were changed to process applications, Deputy Chief Rade Vanic noted that once the current list of applicants is completed, officers would shift priorities to other areas of need.

“Chief realizes this is a priority. The commission has voiced their opinion. The community has voiced their opinion. This is something we have to take care of,” Vanic said. “We just need to get through this list.”

Vanic likened HPD’s approach to dealing with concealed-carry applications to cooking.

“You have something on a burner that needs some attention, once it’s done, you can do other things,” Vanic told Botticelli.

Starting May 1, a new city ordinance banned firearms at 13 locations across Oahu. The sites include city-, state- and federally owned buildings; schools and child care facilities; public parks; hospitals; businesses that serve alcohol; and places frequented by children. Private businesses allowing guns in their establishment have to post a sign saying it’s permissible.

Starting July 1, a state law banned guns at beaches, hospitals, stadiums, bars, movie theaters and other locations.

Three Maui residents and the Hawaii Firearms Coalition are suing the state in federal court, arguing the statewide ban goes too far.

After a hearing in U.S. District Court Friday, U.S. District Judge Leslie Kobayashi said she would consider the matter and then issue a written order as soon as possible, but didn’t give a specific date. If Kobayashi grants the temporary restraining order the plaintiffs are seeking, the law would be blocked on an emergency basis as the lawsuit plays out.

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The Associated Press contributed to this story.