Honolulu police will process applications and likely issue a first batch of concealed-carry weapon licenses before the City Council votes on legislation that outlines where guns can and cannot be carried on Oahu, police Chief Arthur “Joe” Logan confirmed Tuesday.
Speaking at a news conference held at the Honolulu Police Department’s Alapai headquarters, Logan said the department is not coordinating with the Council’s consideration of where to allow guns. So far, HPD has received nearly 600 applications. Any application submitted by Nov. 20 is valid for 90 days, Logan said, adding that the department has the resources and live-fire trainers needed to assist license applicants.
Earlier this month, amendments to Chapter 15 of the Rules of the Chief of Police were finalized, marking the first changes since the administration of former Chief Francis Keala in 1982, Logan said. The amendments cleared the way for HPD to now process applications and issue licenses.
Logan said he wants to ensure the city is in compliance with the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling, handed down in June, in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen, which struck down a New York state law limiting who can have a permit to carry a pistol outside their home. He said he is working to balance the Second Amendment rights of gun owners to bear arms with public safety and Hawaii’s culture that has essentially limited public gun-carrying to law enforcement for more than a century.
“As the chief, it is my and the department’s responsibility to ensure that Honolulu is in compliance with all firearm laws and … to protect our residents,” Logan said. “The individuals that are requesting a permit or license to carry are all currently gun owners. So they’ve already gone through some kind of checks. These are law-abiding citizens. … I don’t see any concern that these individuals are going to be a concern to law enforcement or to the average citizen.”
Due to the the high court’s ruling, 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. It also invalidated a 170-year-old law that required firearm permit applicants to prove a special need to carry a concealed gun on their person, according to the Honolulu City Council.
The Council is slated to weigh Bill 57, a measure that will define “sensitive locations” on Oahu like schools, public transportation and voting centers where guns will be prohibited, at a special meeting set for 10 a.m. Tuesday at Hono- lulu Hale. The meeting will be livestreamed on honolulucitycouncil.org and aired on ‘Olelo Community Media Channel 54.
Under the proposal, guns would also be banned at Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, the Hawaii Children’s Discovery Center, the Honolulu Aquarium and the Honolulu Zoo. Additionally, armed concealed-carry weapon license holders would have to stay 100 feet from the outer edge of groups of 25 or more people gathered in public spaces and participating in “First Amendment expressive activities.” A violation of the proposed ordinance would be considered a misdemeanor.
The Council’s Public Safety Committee Vice Chair Augie Tulba told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser in a statement that HPD should not wait for the Legislature or Council to define where guns are prohibited before issuing CCW permits, because the legislative process can be “lengthy.”
Bill 57’s provisions, Tulba said, provide the Council, stakeholders and others with opportunity for a timely and vital discussion to decide as a community where guns should be prohibited.
“Our goal as a legislative body should be to safeguard our constitutional rights and freedom while ensuring the public feels safe and secure,” said Tulba. “Under the recent SCOTUS decision, HPD has an obligation to issue … permits to residents who apply, meet the requirements and obtain HPD approval. As a community, we are relying on HPD to eliminate bad actors through their screening process while ensuring that everyone who is issued a CCW permit has the required safety training and passes a criminal background check.”
The Council’s Public Safety chair, Heidi Tsuneyoshi, declined comment. In a recent news release, Council Chair Tommy Waters said where people can carry guns on Oahu is “one of the most crucial issues of our time.” He added, “It is vitally important that we gather as a community to discuss this policy for Oahu with one another.”
In a statement sent Tuesday to the Star-Advertiser, Waters said, “As Council Chair, I understand the complexity of this issue, and the need for HPD to abide by the Supreme Court’s ruling while ensuring that the public can feel safe in their daily activities. There will need to be a very delicate balance, and we must do our due diligence. I look forward to a robust discussion at next week’s special Council meeting and as it (Bill 57) makes its way through committee and the Council.”
On Tuesday, Logan also displayed the concealed-carry weapon license card, which will feature relevant data and a picture of the holder and must be carried with the firearm at all times. The licenses are valid only on Oahu and apply to handguns and pistols, not rifles and long guns.
In addition to the application for a CCW license, people will need to provide HPD with their registration for the firearm, their permit to acquire with questionnaire, a medical waiver permitting the review of relevant medical history, an adult mental health waiver, a valid government ID, completion of the four-hour training course and notarized affidavit that the live-fire qualifying course has been completed.
Applicants will also need a couple of passport photos and a $10 fee, he said.
The portion of the application process that is likely to take the longest is the mental health and medical history review, he said. The review of an applicant’s medical and mental health history will typically take anywhere from a week to 14 days. In unusual cases, up to 30 days. HPD might reach out to applicants and ask them to contact their health care providers to help expedite the process.
Logan said he wants applicants to fully understand Hawaii firearm laws and review justification for the use of force, “which all of our law enforcement officers have to understand, so we’d ask our citizens to understand that, also.”
Maui was the state’s first county to begin issuing permits, starting in August. Hawaii and Kauai counties followed suit earlier this month. Honolulu is the lone municipality that was required to abide by county administrative rules and hold a public hearing to amend the Rules of the Chief of Police before CCW licenses could be issued.
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GETTING A CONCEALED-CARRY LICENSE
To find an application and review the rules, please visit honolulupd.org/police-services/firearms.
>> The HPD Firearms Section will be open for walk-in permit-to-acquire and registration.
>> There will be no appointments provided.
>> Hours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays; 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, excluding holidays
>> Where: 801 S. Beretania St., Records and Identification Division, Firearms Section
