Question for our legal gurus. I bought a handgun in CA back in 2004 before I joined the Navy and moved to Hawaii. Its been in storage ever since, but I am visiting family in CA and want to bring it back with me. I have the purchase receipt and CA DOJ DROS showing my ownership. Will there be any issues registering the pistol? I figured I would bring the paperwork and explain everything as an out-of-state registration.

Sounds good to go. Just register it within 72 hours of arrival as required.

Sounds good to go. Just register it within 72 hours of arrival as required.

Out of state registrants need to take firearm(s), in person, to the Main Police Station Firearms Section no later than 5 calendar days from arrival. Out of state registrants are encouraged to arrive at the Firearms Unit no later than 3:00 pm. The out of state registration process can be lengthy. If there is a line, we may not be able to accommodate you. There is no 14-day waiting period for Out-of-State Registration. You need the following when you register your firearm:

    A $16.50 FBI fingerprinting fee. Cash only, exact change.
    Valid photo identification
    The firearm for inspection
    If you were born outside the United States, bring proof of citizenship such as an Original US Passport, Original Naturalization Certificate, Original Born Abroad Certificate, or if you are in the military your Enlisted (ERB) or Officer (ORB) Record Brief will suffice only if the document states you are a United States Citizen.


The following forms are available on this website and may be filled in prior to coming to the Firearms Section.

    Firearms Information Form
    Medical Information Waiver
    Mental Health Waiver
    Firearms Application Questionnaire


Married couples who would like to have their firearms jointly registered in both names need to also bring the Original Marriage Certificate.

http://www.honolulupd.org/information/index.php?page=gunmain

I saw one lady with a kid in a stroller waiting in a long line from before 2:00 until after 3:30 and was turned away.  All she wanted was to register 2 out of state firearms.   She was, let's say, vocally unpleasant when she was told she was not going to be allowed to register!

Hope that's helpful.

 

just bring your gun in , photo ID and exact change.

Well that's good to hear. I have quite a few firearms already registered to me, so thankfully I won't have to worry sbout the fingerprinting and fees.

No need to give all the details.
Go in to register and say "out of state registration".
Easy as that.
After 1st time finger printing, paper work and waiting in line. 

I had a similar situation, although mine was even more involved. The handgun I had was registered to my father in California because I was a minor when I first bought it there. I called HPD a few times about it, called CA people, and the airlines. I didn't want to make a mistake and get in trouble. I thought I would have to transfer ownership in CA first, then bring it or have some kind of paperwork proving it was mine, etc.

It wasn't until a lengthy conversation with HPD that I felt better. They told me, since different states don't share info, the only thing Hawaii cared about was who was responsible for the gun once it was in Hawaii. I bring it into the state, I register it, that's it. You don't need to prove who owned it previously, when it was purchased, nothing. The airlines didn't need any paperwork and neither did HPD. I showed up at HPD, filled out the regular paperwork, and that was that. It was way easier than I thought. I've been in line with several other people registering out is state guns and their experience was the same as mine.

Matt0137,

Thanks for sharing your experience, that makes the process seem easier than I thought.