◆ HAWAII · CARRY LAW
Hawaii.
Information, not legal advice. Confirm with the state before you carry.
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◆ THE SHORT ANSWEREvery tile below is one of the answers further down this page, with its citation.
Concealed, no permit
No
Open, no permit
No
In a vehicle, no permit
No
Getting a permit
Yes, shall-issue
- You must tell an officer you are carrying, before being asked.
- Magazine capacity is capped here.
- A permit is required to buy a firearm, not just to carry one.
- This state has an extreme-risk protective order law.
◆ CARRYING HERE
What Hawaii requires
The state's permit is the License to Carry, issued by the chief of police of each county.
Carrying without a permit3
Can I carry concealed here without a permit?
Permitless or "constitutional" carry. "Limited" means some adults qualify and others do not. Read the qualifier.
No
No, and there is no visitor route either, because the license goes only to residents of the State. Carrying without one is a class B felony.
Can I carry openly here without a permit?
No
No, and the open-carry license is the harder of the two: you must show an urgency or need AND be engaged in the protection of life and property.
Can I keep a loaded handgun in my car without a permit?
No
No. A loaded firearm on any public highway. On you or in the car. Is a class B felony, and the vehicle itself is forfeited to the State.
Permits and age3
If I want this state's permit, will they issue one?
Shall-issue means the state must issue to any qualified applicant. May-issue leaves it to an official's discretion.
Yes, shall-issue
Shall-issue since 1 January 2024, but only to residents, and the license runs four years. Then read § 134-9.5, because Hawaii INVERTS the private-property rule you are used to: a licensee who carries onto private property commits a misdemeanor UNLESS the owner has given express authorization, by unambiguous words or by posted signage saying carry IS allowed. Looking for a no-guns sign is the wrong habit here. The absence of a sign means no.
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 134-9(a), (m); Act 52, SLH 2023, §§ 7, 18Read at the Hawaii Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago
Can I get this state's permit if I live somewhere else?
No
None, and a visitor faces a harder problem first: bringing ANY firearm into Hawaii obliges you to register it in person with a county police chief within five days of arrival.
How old do I have to be to carry here?
The floor for the least restrictive lawful route. Where permitless and permit ages differ, the qualifier says so.
21
21, with no exception, not for the military, not for anyone.
If an officer stops you1
Do I have to tell an officer I am armed?
"Required" means you must volunteer it on contact. "On request" means only when asked.
Required
Yes, and it is one of the strictest in the country: stopped on foot OR as a driver or passenger, you must immediately say you are carrying.
Buying and owning2
Do I need a state-issued card just to own or buy a firearm here?
Illinois' FOID is the main example. Distinct from a carry permit.
Required
Yes. A permit to acquire from your county police chief before you may take ownership of any firearm, plus registration of what you already own.
Is there a limit on magazine capacity here?
Only in some cases
Ten rounds, but only for magazines designed for or usable with a PISTOL. Rifle magazines are untouched.
How the state governs guns2
Can a city here write its own gun rules on top of the state's?
Full preemption means state law is the only law. Partial means some cities may go further. Check locally.
Sometimes, check the city
There is no preemption statute. Firearm licensing in Hawaii is run county by county, by four separate police chiefs.
No preemption provision in Haw. Rev. Stat. ch. 134Read at the Hawaii Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read the section list for the whole of chapter 134 on 2026-09-06 and searched it for “preempt”, “ordinance”, “county” and “regulate”. Nothing answering to a preemption section appears among its ninety-odd sections; the only county references are the ones handing administration TO the counties.Does this state have a red-flag law?
An extreme risk protection order lets a court order firearms surrendered temporarily.
Yes, this state has one
Yes. Gun violence protective orders, with ex parte orders available.
◆ RECIPROCITY
Permits Hawaii honors
If you are visiting Hawaii, this is whether your permit counts here.
Pick a state for the full answer with its citation, or find it in the grid below.
Not honored54
◆ RECIPROCITY, THE OTHER WAY
Where Hawaii permits are honored
If you live in Hawaii, this is where your permit travels.
Pick a state for the full answer with its citation, or find it in the grid below.
Honored30
Honored, with a condition1
Not honored23
◆ NFA ITEMS
Suppressors and NFA legality
Federal registration is required everywhere these are legal. A state can prohibit them regardless, and several do.
Can I possess a suppressor here?
Federal NFA registration is required everywhere it is legal. State law can prohibit it regardless.
Prohibited
Prohibited outright. “mufflers, silencers, or devices for deadening or muffling the sound of discharged firearms”.
Can I possess a short-barreled rifle here?
Prohibited
Prohibited. Any rifle with a barrel under sixteen inches.
Can I possess a short-barreled shotgun here?
Prohibited
Prohibited. Any shotgun with a barrel under eighteen inches.
Can I possess a machine gun here?
Federally, civilian possession is limited to pre-1986 registered transferables.
Prohibited
Prohibited. “automatic firearms”, with no registered exception.
Can I possess an AOW here?
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork, but Hawaii permits and registers every firearm, so the state paperwork is the harder part.
No any-other-weapon provision in Haw. Rev. Stat. § 134-8Read at the Hawaii Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read § 134-8 in full on 2026-09-07 and searched it for “cane gun”, “pen gun”, “wallet gun”, “zip gun”, “disguised” and “any other weapon”. None appears.◆ SOURCES
Where this comes from
This is information, not legal advice. Gun law changes often and the penalty for getting it wrong is criminal. Confirm every answer with the state before you carry there.
- The authority
- the chief of police of each county ↗
- ATF’s index
- Hawaii firearm statutes ↗ (PDF)