My dad didn't know the law and was very sick and still recovering from an open heart surgery and didn't register a few firearms when he moved here.  What can I do to help him register them now?  He's very old and unable to do the "needful".

My dad didn't know the law and was very sick and still recovering from an open heart surgery and didn't register a few firearms when he moved here.  What can I do to help him register them now?  He's very old and unable to do the "needful".

Not enough details to get a good answer.

Did he already own them in another state and have them shipped here? 

Did he go through an FFL to receive them in Hawaii from an out-of-state seller?

Did he ever apply for any permits -- long gun or handgun?

How many guns are we talking about?  Handgun # and Long gun #.

How and where he acquired them factors into whether it's a just problem of being unregistered.

I'm assuming he brought them over when he moved here. 

Do they actually check to see if and when you moved to Hawaii?

My dad didn't know the law and was very sick and still recovering from an open heart surgery and didn't register a few firearms when he moved here.  What can I do to help him register them now?  He's very old and unable to do the "needful".

Why are you bothering at this point?
Your dad is a criminal under existing law. 
You are not required to
testify against yourself per the SCOUS and 5th
amendment., which is is what he would be doing at this point,
testifying against himself.
Registration is un-constitutional,
just none of us has the money to challenge it, so
we sheepishly comply like J3ws marching into Auschwitz.
I'd do nothing until you have to deal with the cops.
I'd keep a lawyer on speed dial just in case.
Full disclosure; I never violate any constitutional Federal, state, or local laws.

Not enough details to get a good answer.

Did he already own them in another state and have them shipped here? 

Did he go through an FFL to receive them in Hawaii from an out-of-state seller?

Did he ever apply for any permits -- long gun or handgun?

How many guns are we talking about?  Handgun # and Long gun #.

How and where he acquired them factors into whether it's a just problem of being unregistered.

3 pistols, only one I care about is the Colt 1911A1 made in 1940.  The 2 others are Kel-Tecs.  He has 2 that were registered in 1970's.  He was too sick and didn't know the law, they just came in a container with the other household goods.  Is there a way I can retroactively register them?  Like take a vacation to Las Vegas and come back and register them?

3 pistols, only one I care about is the Colt 1911A1 made in 1940.  The 2 others are Kel-Tecs.  He has 2 that were registered in 1970's.  He was too sick and didn't know the law, they just came in a container with the other household goods.  Is there a way I can retroactively register them?  Like take a vacation to Las Vegas and come back and register them?

If the firearms were acquired (purchased) or brought into the state before June 1994, they are not required to be registered in Hawaii unless/until you transfer ownership to someone else.   

If you want to transfer them from your father into your name, you'll need to go through the permit to acquire w/2-week wait & registration processes. You'll need to do that anyway after he passes if you're the heir receiving the guns.  Doing it now would make one less thing to worry about during that time.

They didn’t ask me if Out of state but I had a Nevada drivers license then.

I would think that if you explained the circumstances, they may issue a misdemeanor to your father with or without a penalty fee. The more documentation you have, the better. If no documentation, then maybe best to bury them in the back yard. Perhaps you could mail them to a family member in a more gun friendly State?

If the firearms were acquired (purchased) or brought into the state before June 1994, they are not required to be registered in Hawaii unless/until you transfer ownership to someone else.   

Handguns were always required to be registered, even when I bought my first one in 1972, except back then you could get your permit and handgun in one day. You could buy a long gun with no permit or regisration .

Handguns were always required to be registered, even when I bought my first one in 1972, except back then you could get your permit and handgun in one day. You could buy a long gun with no permit or regisration .

Hmm.  I guess you can't believe everything you read on the Internet!   

*** EDIT ***
I found this little gem hiding in a guns.com article:

“Handgun registration in Hawaii, introduced in 1933 well before statehood,
was repealed in 1950,
but re-instituted in the ’60s. 
Historically, including examples in the U.S. (guns were confiscated during WWII in Hawaii, primarily from Japanese residents), registration leads to confiscation.”

https://www.guns.com/2014/02/26/hawaii-bill-allow-online-gun-registration-makes-headway-despite-police-opposition/


So, theoretically, if your dad acquired a handgun in the 1950s-early 1960s, there would have been no registration requirement.

My Dad got the .45 in 53 after coming back from Korea and it was put in a box with his military memorabilia and forgotten until I just moved back home.  Now, he wants to give it to me and of course I want it.  I'll throw the Kel-Tec's in Pearl Harbor.

My Dad got the .45 in 53 after coming back from Korea and it was put in a box with his military memorabilia and forgotten until I just moved back home.  Now, he wants to give it to me and of course I want it.  I'll throw the Kel-Tec's in Pearl Harbor.

You should be able to register them all to yourself, if that's what you and your dad want to happen.

Review the info on the HPD site, particularly the Questionnaire.  If you find you might be prohibited from owning a firearm or feel there's a chance you'll fail the background check, then you might not be able to transfer the weapons into your name.  Most people don't have a problem getting a permit, but I figured I'd put that out here.

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

1.  If you haven't taken a qualifying handgun safety course, you'll either need to do that or take the free HI state hunter's education course.

2.  Have the details of each gun written down:

-- Caliber
-- Make
-- Model
--Type  (Revolver, Semi-automatic ...)
-- Barrel Length
-- Serial Number

3.  Might want to get a copy of your dad's ID to take with you, too, so HPD knows who the seller is.  Not required, but it might help.

4.  Take your ID, the weapon info, your safety course training affidavit or hunter's ed certificate and your dad's ID copy to HPD and apply for a permit to acquire.  If you haven't joined the RAPBACK club yet, also take a credit card or $42 cash (exact change requested).  Write down the date posted on the firearms section window so you know the date to pick your permit up.

If they ask why they can't find a current registration, tell them the one gun was brought to Hawaii in the 50s (no registration required, assuming my info is right), and the other two were out-of-state purchases.  Plead ignorance as to when they were received and from whom.  They'll run a check on the pistols to make sure they aren't stolen or being sought in connection with a crime.

You probably want to show up well before 3:00PM, so they can run the out-of-state checks.

5.  If your application was accepted, wait the 14 days and go pick up the permit.  If there's a problem with approval, they should call you before the 2 weeks are up.

6.  Take the permit to your dad to sign.  At that point, the transfer is complete, and you own the guns.  The seller keeps one copy of the permit.

7.  One more trip to HPD -- take the remaining, signed permit copies and the pistols to HPD within 5 days of your father's signature to register them.  Don't take any mags or accessories.  Just have the pistols in a case/cases for transport.


If your dad is able, and you can work out your schedules, your dad could go to HPD with you when the permit is ready.  That'll save you a return trip.  He carries the guns, you and he pick up the permit, he signs the permit, then you register the guns -- all in one trip.  He needs to keep the guns until you have the permit, since you can't possess a handgun you don't own unless the owner is with you.

This is my suggestion.  Hopefully others will chime in if I missed/misstated something.

You should be able to register them all to yourself, if that's what you and your dad want to happen.

Review the info on the HPD site, particularly the Questionnaire.  If you find you might be prohibited from owning a firearm or feel there's a chance you'll fail the background check, then you might not be able to transfer the weapons into your name.  Most people don't have a problem getting a permit, but I figured I'd put that out here.

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

1.  If you haven't taken a qualifying handgun safety course, you'll either need to do that or take the free HI state hunter's education course.

2.  Have the details of each gun written down:

-- Caliber
-- Make
-- Model
--Type  (Revolver, Semi-automatic ...)
-- Barrel Length
-- Serial Number

3.  Might want to get a copy of your dad's ID to take with you, too, so HPD knows who the seller is.  Not required, but it might help.

4.  Take your ID, the weapon info, your safety course training affidavit or hunter's ed certificate and your dad's ID copy to HPD and apply for a permit to acquire.  If you haven't joined the RAPBACK club yet, also take a credit card or $42 cash (exact change requested).  Write down the date posted on the firearms section window so you know the date to pick your permit up.

If they ask why they can't find a current registration, tell them the one gun was brought to Hawaii in the 50s (no registration required, assuming my info is right), and the other two were out-of-state purchases.  Plead ignorance as to when they were received and from whom.  They'll run a check on the pistols to make sure they aren't stolen or being sought in connection with a crime.

You probably want to show up well before 3:00PM, so they can run the out-of-state checks.

5.  If your application was accepted, wait the 14 days and go pick up the permit.  If there's a problem with approval, they should call you before the 2 weeks are up.

6.  Take the permit to your dad to sign.  At that point, the transfer is complete, and you own the guns.  The seller keeps one copy of the permit.

7.  One more trip to HPD -- take the remaining, signed permit copies and the pistols to HPD within 5 days of your father's signature to register them.  Don't take any mags or accessories.  Just have the pistols in a case/cases for transport.


If your dad is able, and you can work out your schedules, your dad could go to HPD with you when the permit is ready.  That'll save you a return trip.  He carries the guns, you and he pick up the permit, he signs the permit, then you register the guns -- all in one trip.  He needs to keep the guns until you have the permit, since you can't possess a handgun you don't own unless the owner is with you.

This is my suggestion.  Hopefully others will chime in if I missed/misstated something.

I already have all my permits to acquire long guns for a year and did the handgun safety course and registered a Glock 19X and S&W M&P 2.0 Shield.  Have 4 AR's and a Tavor registered without any issue.

Dad is housebound, he can't drive or walk far with his walker.

I already have all my permits to acquire long guns for a year and did the handgun safety course and registered a Glock 19X and S&W M&P 2.0 Shield.  Have 4 AR's and a Tavor registered without any issue.

Dad is housebound, he can't drive or walk far with his walker.

Sounds like you have everything covered.  Let us know how it goes for you.

So you inherited them from an out of state relative and you brought them back on the plane with you less than 3 days ago?

So you inherited them from an out of state relative and you brought them back on the plane with you less than 3 days ago?

Wouldn't that require the estate to use an FFL to forward the firearms to a Hawaii FFL?  I think that's considered an interstate transfer.

Hypothetically speaking, of course.

If you bring them on the plane yourself then no FFL is required and you just have to register within 72hours if I’m not mistaken

People are a little paranoid here.  The police arent going to arrest him for registering the guns late.  He might get some scolding, but I highly doubt they'll even do that to an old disabled man.

Just bring him to HPD to register em.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

5th ammenent, registration would be self Incrimination and as such not required.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haynes_v._United_States

When your father passes you then do the permit process and awuaire legally per HRS

People are a little paranoid here.  The police arent going to arrest him for registering the guns late.  He might get some scolding, but I highly doubt they'll even do that to an old disabled man.

Just bring him to HPD to register em.

You have a much misplaced trust in the police.
Their main job is to enforce the law and raise revenue for the state and county,
regardless of weather the law is just or constitutional.
Other than directing traffic or arresting a DUI driver, public safety stuff is BS!
Never, ever admit to violating a law, or talk to a cop without a lawyer present.