Carrying in Hawaii

[gigag04]

Got a great deal for a week in Hawaii next week (Honeymoon). I'm looking into carrying under LEOSA but wow, what a pain.

Since I'll be there longer than three days I'll have to register it with the local chief...

Among other pains. No high cap mags (10+) - that's a felony, no "LEO Only" marked ammo...no NFA.

Those liberal nut jobs made LEOSA as convoluted and stripped down as they could.

http://hawaii.gov/ag/criminal_justice/LEO/index_html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Worth it? Was going to bring a Kahr P380 for the pocket. I think between checking it and then Hawiifying my carry privileges, I may leave it.

[Expat]

Just got back from Hawaii a couple of months ago (stayed 2 weeks) and was disappointed that Texas recognizes Hawaii CHL's but they don't return the favor for Texans.

[cubbyjg]

So if you travel to different spots in Hawaii, do you have to register it with each local chief? Or what if you are going to different spots and staying less than 3 days at each place, does that change things?

[SQLGeek]

It stinks you have so many restrictions but take heart in the fact you still have the right to do what most of the commoners do not.

[The Annoyed Man]

I understand the decision to leave it behind because it's such a giant hassle, but I don't know if I could do it. Last night, I left the house to go lead worship at an event at my church. I had stuck my pocket holster in my pocket, in preparation to going and getting my gun from the other room, but in the hurry up of trying to get out of the house on time with my guitar, music, laptop, etc., I managed to drive off without my gun. I felt so naked that I called my wife and asked her to bring it to me.....which she did.

When we went to California last May, we brought our pistols along and carried them until we got to Kingman Arizona, at which point we disarmed and locked them up in cases before driving into California. Again, I not only felt naked, I felt violated. Even my wife felt it. We have come to take our right to be armed so much for granted as part of our daily lives that it felt exactly as if we had been told we could not speak as long as we were in California.

I would love to go to Hawaii. Never been there before. But after this last trip to California, I will never again travel to any state that does not recognize my CHL. Traveling out of the country is another story. For a practical matter, there is no other country where I can enjoy my RKBA. But the full on realization that there are still places here in the U.S.A. where I cannot be a fully realized citizen with all the rights and privileges thereof is a shameful reality. I will never again go to a state that tells me I should be ashamed of my rights.

If I were you, I would bring the Kahr. Even though it's a hassle to declare it under LEOSA, I would do it just to spit in the eye of their stupidity, so I could carry as a fully realized citizen of the United States, and in the face of their parochial little concerns about social engineering. To hades with them. Live as large as you want to.

[Pete92FS]

I would carry if I were you - even being as restricted as you say it's better than nothing at all.

[VMI77]

The "logic" of the left is that guns should only be possessed and used by professionals, essentially police officers, so these kinds of restrictions make no logical sense. The magazine capacity limit applied to a police officer makes still less sense unless the police in Hawaii are prohibited from using normal capacity magazines too --which I doubt.

[stash]

Just got back from Hawaii a couple of months ago (stayed 2 weeks) and was disappointed that Texas recognizes Hawaii CHL's but they don't return the favor for Texans.

Probably won't see many Hawaiian citizens carrying in Texas on a Hawaiian license because I read that the average Joe cannot get a a Hawaiian license, but I understand what you mean.

[srothstein]

Got a great deal for a week in Hawaii next week (Honeymoon). I'm looking into carrying under LEOSA but wow, what a pain.

Since I'll be there longer than three days I'll have to register it with the local chief...

Among other pains. No high cap mags (10+) - that's a felony, no "LEO Only" marked ammo...no NFA.

Those liberal nut jobs made LEOSA as convoluted and stripped down as they could.

http://hawaii.gov/ag/criminal_justice/LEO/index_html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Worth it? Was going to bring a Kahr P380 for the pocket. I think between checking it and then Hawiifying my carry privileges, I may leave it.

It is always your choice on what to do, and testing the law is not usually a good idea. BUT . . . as I read it, their policy is a crock and just a scare attempt. I noted that they clearly, on the AG website state that this is not legal advice. They also state that the federal law does not supersede state law and that you will be treated as a citizen with no law enforcement powers if you are not on official duty. But I think everyone knows that federal law does indeed supersede their law. The LEOSA clearly states that it applies without regard to state law.

There is the caveat in the LEOSA that it does not supersede state law that limits where you can carry if private property owners ban it or some specific public areas. You will need to brush up on that section. The latest changes also specifically include ammunition as being anything not banned by federal law, so you can ignore their ban on LEO ammo. The way I read the law, it would override their temporary registration within three days also. I will stipulate that this is a little more gray since they would not charge you with unlawfully carrying, but with failure to register. I think you would win at the appellate level, but it might take getting it that far in the federal system.

The real gray area to me is the ten round limit on the magazine. I am not sure how the LEOSA would apply on that since it is not clearly mentioned. Again, I think you would win but this one is much more dicey. Obviously, this is not a problem for you pocket 380 though.

But, if you really wanted to be safe, carry a .44 revolver. I noted that this is not defined as a firearm on their website. I guess you could go the other way and bring a 32, since it is also not a firearm.