The firearms unit is operating at ~half capacity due to officers out on sick leave or otherwise. There has also been a huge (COVID level) influx in permits to acquire (90-100+ per day, ~45 before all this anti-gun legislation talk in the news). The combination of the two is incredibly stressful.
Please have some consideration for the officers working the windows; they too are tired of the long lines and the lack of resources the unit is allocated. It’s not as easy as training a new hire/other officers; due to Hawaii laws, there’s a lot of intricacies with the processes, and training for the various positions at firearms takes multiple weeks. There is also a lot of liability associated with the unit; one wrong statement or action could cause a major lawsuit for the department/state.
The firearms unit has streamlined it the best they can with the current gun laws in Hawaii; quicker processes means easier/less work for the unit. Want an easier/quicker process? Lobby to change the laws in our state.
Mahalo for understanding.
No debate that the department can be overworked and understaffed.
But, when the state can't manage the bureaucracy it's created to restrict a Constitutional right, maybe they don't deserve sympathy or consideration. After all, they have to follow the SAME LAWS we do. If that means they issue permits on the 14th day having an incomplete background check, then that's what they have to do. The NICS system is a 3-day adjudication process. If they take longer, the request is automatically approved. The consequences of being unable to meet their deadline lies with the FBI, not the individual buyer.
Not many are bashing the individual officers on here -- except for a few observations. The problem is the law and the HPD policies and procedures. You and I lobbying to change them will do nothing. Until HPD throws up its hands and says, "This is more than we can handle," we'll continue to see more and more restrictions passed with no increase in resources.
We're paying for background checks at both the Federal and State level with our taxes and fees. With so much overlap, I'm sure they can find ways to streamline without reducing "safety."