So after getting your permit for a long gun, and you purchase it. Are we not allowed to take it until we get an appointment to register it? Because as of today there aren't any openings for 90 days. Matter of fact they won't even let you schedule beyond that. And with Hawaiis law saying you must register it within 5 days, what do they expect people to do? Pay for it, and cross their fingers they get an appointment within the next 4 months to finally take home their rifle?
Doesn't seem reasonable at all.
I don't want to pick up my rifle, then go register it after finally getting an appointment 100 days later, only to be charged with some bullshit and lose my right to bear arms.
A Permit to Acquire is just that -- a permit to buy and take possession of the firearm. So, pay the seller, produce your valid long gun permit, and leave the store with your firearm.
Nowhere in the law is firearm acquisition contingent on registration. The two processes are 100% apart and independent of each other. An example would be bringing a firearm from out of state. There's no permit required, only registration.
Once you own/acquire the firearm, then you make the registration appointment. If you can't get an appointment date within 5 days, that's a state issue.
Possessing, sighting in and practicing with your new long gun should not be prevented by a registration process that can't follow the same law they expect gun owners to follow. HI COVID-19 proclamations have waived the registration period without penalty. Some HPD officer/s has reportedly said you can't take your new gun to the range until it's registered. Nowhere in the law does it say that, or else it would also apply to the 5 days between normal, pre-pandemic acquisition and registering. It doesn't.
Do what you want. It'll be okay whichever way you decide.