I was talking to my friend and he said long time ago you dont have to register your firearms in Hwaii.
How did this law came to be?
Was it gun related crime?
Will is expire?

Kinda pointless if the 2A allows us to bear arms to protect us from  tyranny from our government. But when they know you own they can come in and take it away like Katrina. Or the State says you are mentally disable or whatever reason they can come up with.

Not sure about how the registration thing came about, but if a catastrophe on the scale of Katrina were to happen here in Hawaii they would not be able to take your firearms.  A bill protecting that right was passed during the Lingle administration to address such concerns.  After seeing the looting and the inability of good people to protect themselves because their firearms were taken away our elected officials did the right thing in passing that bill.

http://www.hawaiireporter.com/hawaiis-2nd-amendment-rights-protected-during-emergency-2/123

My suspicion is that the history of forearms restrictions here follows the history of firearms restrictions in the US post civil-war.  The idea is to keep guns in the hands of the ruling class/race, and out of the hands of the disenfranchised.  You know, having the people whose lands you've taken, language and culture you've destroyed, numbers you've decimated, prosperity you've eliminated, etc, etc... having those people have firearms is just not something that lets the elite sleep well. 

I don't know the details about handgun registration, but long gun registration began in 1994.

My suspicion is that the history of forearms restrictions here follows the history of firearms restrictions in the US post civil-war.  The idea is to keep guns in the hands of the ruling class/race, and out of the hands of the disenfranchised.  You know, having the people whose lands you've taken, language and culture you've destroyed, numbers you've decimated, prosperity you've eliminated, etc, etc... having those people have firearms is just not something that lets the elite sleep well.

I ku mau mau... Oh wait sorry wrong forum  I thought I was on the Hawaiian Nation forum for a minute there.   

I ku mau mau... Oh wait sorry wrong forum  I thought I was on the Hawaiian Nation forum for a minute there.   

ku pa'a

Not sure about how the registration thing came about, but if a catastrophe on the scale of Katrina were to happen here in Hawaii they would not be able to take your firearms.  A bill protecting that right was passed during the Lingle administration to address such concerns.  After seeing the looting and the inability of good people to protect themselves because their firearms were taken away our elected officials did the right thing in passing that bill.

http://www.hawaiireporter.com/hawaiis-2nd-amendment-rights-protected-during-emergency-2/123

I disagree with that wholeheartedly.  One of the founding fathers, whose name always escapes me, was opposed to writing a Bill of Rights on the grounds that it implies that without that piece of paper, the government would be free to trample rights.  The law against confiscating firearms is no different.  The government doesn't have the right to confiscate my property, but for some reason they passed a law to prohibit it.  The implication is, "The state has the power to confiscate your firearms, but we've generously passed a law asserting that we won't do that."  How long do you suppose it would take an emergency session of the legislature to repeal that law? 

Think of it like a friend who's borrowing your car.  Would it make you feel better or worse if he said, "Don't worry man, I promise not to drive this thing down to the waterfront, load it on a shipping container, and send it to Abu Dhabi."?  You'd think, "Why the hell would you even mention that?  Were you thinking about doing that?  Maybe I don't borrow you my car, after all."

Registration of Handguns happened Before my time.

CCW was issued until the 1970s.  HPD had issued a shoe box full.  I know cause I was shown the box when I was there on business.

City Clerk's Office had ALL CCW Rules, Regulations and related materials open to the public.  Included the practical test to qualify.  Since removed.

Forgot who was Chief at HPD when ALL the Chiefs got together to quit isueing CCW.

The reason long guns were registered is because very few if any gun owners voiced their opinions against it at the legislature.

Legislature came down hard on firearms after one senator was "HIT" by unknown gunman at his home.  Shooter was never found.

Another senator was litterly hammered to death by his wife.  She surrendered herself at HPD.  Went to the bathroom and shot herself with

a S & W 357 magnum she brought with her. Yep, HPD did NOT search her.

And there was the questionable death of a State Judge......

A lot of anti-gun legislation was a knee jerk to stuff that happened at that time a result of the Anti 2A Law Enforcement Coalition.

Coalition included Federal, State and local PD LEO.  Also included Federal, State and City Prosecutors. 

HPD and outer island cops regularly showed up in Uniform to testify for Anti 2A legislation. 

At the hearings, there were more cops in uniform (just for show, only the Chiefs testified) than Pro 2A people.

Remember HPD has a no politicing clause, these in uniform officers were being paid to go to the hearing.  No testimony required.

One Pro 2A officer who testified had to take OFF and was in street clothes.  He was one of the officers who Always showed up for

special duty at every gun show I can recall.  Now retired and moving to class 3 state.

For one hearing, HRA was able to get 300 people out to Rally at the capitol rotunda.   HRA was also able to get people to

hold Pro 2A signs and picket Anti 2A Sen Rey Graulty(google that one).  Wife was interviewed by Chnl 2 news for one picket session.

IF HRA were to hold a Pro 2A Rally at the Capitol Rotunda, I wonder how many gun owners will show up today?

If it wasn't for the HRA/NRA  gun rights as we know it now would not exist.

There was a time when I honestly believed that a TOAL BAN on ALL Firearms in Hawaii was going to happen.

Of borderline relevance, I give you the Brady Campaign state rankings:

http://www.bradycampaign.org/xshare/stateleg/scorecard/2011/2011_Brady_Campaign_State_Scorecard_Rankings.pdf

This is from:

http://www.bradycampaign.org/stategunlaws/scorecard/descriptions/?s=1

I'm unhappy to say that Colorado is tied for 15th place.

<disorganized ramble>

More directly relevant is my supposition is that a lot of Legislators generate "copycat" laws from other states just for the sake of showing activity.  You know, the old "Arjerseykansas has thus and so law, why not us?" political ploy.

I further theorize, without documentary evidence, that Hawaii's "proximity" to both Japan, with its highly-regulated culture, and California, with its own highly-regulated culture, has a lot to do with it.

One of the reasons I hate to see California license plates here is my discomfort with the notion that they're going to move here and further "Californicate" Colorado.

We have our own haoles here in Colorado , too.

Sort of like the folks who move from the city to agricultural/rural areas and then try to make these areas just like the cities...  "We need a traffic light here... think of the children."

Forgetting that the children who lived there beforehand got along just fine without the aforesaid traffic light.

</disorganized ramble>

Terry, 230RN

Handguns had to be registered in Hawaii going way back, at least just after WW2 and maybe before. But long guns didn't.  The FFL dealer had to register  the long gun but the buyer didn't need to do so. The dealer was suppose to keep a record.

If memory serves me it was the 1994 State legislature that passed amendments to  sec. 134-2 and 3 HRS; essentially requiring buyers to get a one year long gun permit and to register all long guns acquired . This was effective July 1994.

BTW all those thousands of un-registered long guns held pre-July 1994 are not "grandfathered" in when transferred. . Once they are sold or transferred the new owner has to have the permit and must register the long gun. It is a myth that these guns are outside of the system and need not be registered. See sec. 134-2 (a) HRS

Welcome, Flinter!  Good input. 


Actually, I suspect most laws are a result of the "Oh, we can't have THEM doing THAT!" attitude of most politicians who forget that they are our servants, not our masters

See, we elect these folks as Lawmakers, and guess what?  They make laws. 

In Terry's Ideal World (TIW):

(A) all legislative sessions would be limited to two days per year, and;

(B) for every law that's passed, two must be repealed, and;

(C) every law would have an expiration date not greater than 5 years after enactment.

That will keep them so busy re-passing old good laws that they won't have time to pass new bad ones.


I'm willing to give a little ground on the "two must be repealed" parameter.  I'll compromise as far as "one must be repealed," but that's it.

See? You can't call me inflexible, now, can you?

Terry, 230RN

zombie thread but how do we stop the registry or is there already something in the works to try and get it removed?

Not sure about how the registration thing came about, but if a catastrophe on the scale of Katrina were to happen here in Hawaii they would not be able to take your firearms.  A bill protecting that right was passed during the Lingle administration to address such concerns.  After seeing the looting and the inability of good people to protect themselves because their firearms were taken away our elected officials did the right thing in passing that bill.

http://www.hawaiireporter.com/hawaiis-2nd-amendment-rights-protected-during-emergency-2/123

Totally bypass your post here ...what i think why do we need another law to protect the original law 2A: RIghts to bear arms. Mayor Nagin should be shot for treaon or some jail time for violating the constitution. Then again you got the anti gunner crowds trying to overlap more laws that retricts firearms. wow 1 bottle of kirin does wonders

The best answers can be found by going to the capitol law library and physically looking through old law books. Online records unfortunately seem to be non-existent.

I do know that Hawaii's handgun registration law and machine gun ban goes back to when Hawaii was a territory. Registration from my understanding was not retroactive (similar to the 1994 long arm law) and it started in 1949 or sometime around then.

Interesting enough, the carry law use to be less draconian (i'm not sure what year it changed, before 1970 I think), at one time, it was loosely based on the NRA standard carry law from the 1920's. The prohibition on carrying outside one's home/business use to apply to dirks, daggers, stilleto's, nunchaku, pistols and other firearms unless you were licensed to carry a concealed weapon. At that time a concealed weapon permit was only needed for concealed carry or vehicle carry. In other words, open carry on foot was ok with as long as the weapon or firearm was carried openly. Furthermore, concealed weapons permits were valid state wide.

Obviously, that changed a long time ago and now Hawaii is stuck with the pistol only open carry permit and pistol only concealed carry permits for each specific county. I may have a few details incorrect, but the only way to be sure is to check the law library.

What is interesting enough, is that Hawaii is the only state with a statewide ban on carrying long arms on foot.

zombie thread but how do we stop the registry or is there already something in the works to try and get it removed?

Not gonna happen, imo.  The anti-gunners would shit bricks and go high order on HNN yapping about how those crazy gun nuts think that any old body ought to be able to just walk into a gun store and buy the same sort of gun Lanza and Holmes used without so much as a how-do-you-do to Chief Kealoha.