More than 2,200 in Hawaii now licensed to carry handguns in public
More than 2,200 people in Hawaii hold a license to carry a concealed handgun in public, according to the state Department of the Attorney General.
As of Dec. 31, 2,207 people held a license, about 0.2% of the state’s resident population age 20 or older, according to a news release.
On Oahu, 1,356 people are licensed to carry handguns in public, compared to 425 on Hawaii island, 183 on Maui and 243 on Kauai.
“Licensees are over-represented in Kauai County (11.0% of statewide licensees compared to 5.1% of the state’s resident population) and Hawaii County (19.3% and 14.5%, respectively) and commensurately underrepresented in the City and County of Honolulu and Maui County,” according to the AG.
People in Hawaii who hold a license to carry a handgun in public are “most commonly male; in their 30s through 50s; and of Caucasian, Filipino, Hawaiian, or Japanese racial/ethnic descent.”
“There are no meaningful distinctions in application submissions versus outcomes relative to age, sex, or race/ethnicity,” according to state officials.
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Statewide, 2,697 LTC applications were received by the county police departments, while 2,456 licenses were issued, and officials noted that “some licensees hold multiple licenses in order to select between different carry guns.”
One hundred and nineteen applications were denied and six were revoked.
The full report can be downloaded from the Department of the Attorney General’s Research and Statistics website.
A 6-3 decision on June 22, 2022, by the Supreme Court in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen ensured police chiefs in Hawaii lost discretion to deny a permit to carry a gun to law-abiding citizens who satisfy basic requirements put in place by each county.
