Can You Conceal Carry in Hawaii? Licensing, Training, and Limits

Concealed carry in Hawaii is legal for residents who get a license from the chief of police in their county, and since the Supreme Court’s 2022 Bruen decision the state issues those licenses to any applicant who meets the statutory criteria. The process is more demanding than in most states: a $150 fee, a classroom course, a live-fire proficiency test, firearm registration, and a long list of places where carrying is still prohibited.

Who Qualifies for a License

You must be at least 21, a Hawaii resident, and a U.S. citizen, national, or lawful permanent resident.¹ Non-residents and visitors cannot apply.

State and federal disqualifiers for firearm possession also block a license. You are ineligible if you have a felony conviction, a conviction for a crime of violence, or a conviction related to illegal drug distribution. The same applies if you are a fugitive from justice, have been acquitted of a crime on grounds of mental disease, or have been adjudicated for involuntary hospitalization. People under treatment for substance abuse, or diagnosed with a condition that impairs judgment to a degree presenting an unreasonable risk to public safety, are also prohibited.²

The statute also requires that applicants not be “lacking the essential character or temperament necessary to be entrusted with a firearm.” It is the most subjective piece of the eligibility test and the place most likely to generate a dispute, though the overall framework operates as shall-issue after Bruen.¹

Training and Proficiency Testing

Two separate requirements have to be in hand before you apply: a firearms training course and a live-fire proficiency test. Both have to be done by an instructor certified or verified by the county chief of police, or by a certified military firearms instructor.

The training course runs at least four hours of classroom time plus a minimum of two hours on the range. Classroom instruction covers safe handling and storage, mental health and suicide prevention awareness related to firearms, and an overview of Hawaii’s firearms laws.³

The proficiency test is a separate sitting. It covers in-person instruction on firearm handling, shooting technique, safe storage, legal transport in vehicles, prohibited carry locations, and low-light shooting. You have to shoot each specific firearm you want listed on your license and score at least 75%.⁴

Watch the timing. The classroom lecture and written exam must have been completed within the past two years, but the shooting proficiency test must have been passed within 90 days of your application.⁵ Schedule the live-fire test close to the date you plan to submit the paperwork.

How to Apply

Applications are submitted in person to the chief of police in your county of residence. The form asks for the make, model, and serial number of each firearm you want to carry, and you have to be the registered owner of each one.¹

Along with the application, bring:

Proof of completing the firearms training course and a notarized certification from your instructor
Signed and scored results from your live-fire proficiency test for each firearm (pass/fail alone is not accepted)
A signed waiver authorizing the state to access your mental health records
Two passport-sized, front-facing color photos taken within the past 30 days
A copy of your Hawaii firearms registration for each gun listed on the application

Specific procedures vary slightly between counties.⁶ The nonrefundable application fee is $150.⁷ The training course and proficiency test are billed separately by private instructors and vary in price. The department then runs a background check covering criminal history and mental health records. The statute does not set a decision deadline, so processing times vary by county.

What the License Covers and How Long It Lasts

A Hawaii carry license covers both concealed and unconcealed (open) carry of a pistol or revolver. There is no separate open-carry permit. The license is valid statewide, so one issued in Honolulu works on Maui and one issued on the Big Island works on Oahu.¹

Licenses expire four years from the date of issue. Renewal costs $50 per firearm and requires that you still meet all original eligibility criteria. The chief of police may require continuing education or additional proficiency testing as a condition of renewal, and the renewal fee can be waived for financial hardship.¹

If you later become disqualified from firearm possession for any reason, your license is automatically void and must be returned to the chief of police within 48 hours.

Where You Cannot Carry

Hawaii’s Act 52, passed in 2023, bars carry in a long list of “sensitive places” even for licensed carriers:

Schools and childcare facilities, from preschool through university
State and county government buildings and grounds
Courthouses and correctional facilities
Polling places
Airports beyond security screening
Public transit
Hospitals, mental health facilities, and doctors’ offices
Bars and restaurants that serve alcohol
Public parks and beaches
Shelters, including homeless and domestic violence shelters
Concert venues, theaters, museums, and amusement parks

Act 52 also set a default rule for private property open to the public: firearms are prohibited unless the owner has given express permission. In practice, you cannot carry into a grocery store, mall, or movie theater unless the owner has posted a sign allowing it.⁸ That reverses the default in most other states, where you can carry on private property unless a sign tells you not to.

Violating a location restriction can mean criminal charges and revocation of your license.

The Supreme Court Case to Watch

In Wolford v. Lopez, the Ninth Circuit in September 2024 upheld most of Act 52, including the private-property default rule, the park and beach bans, and the bar and restaurant restrictions. In October 2025 the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the challenge to the private-property default rule.⁹ A decision is expected in 2026. Until then, every restriction in Act 52 remains in force.

Self-Defense and the Duty to Retreat

Hawaii is a duty-to-retreat state. Non-deadly force is justified when you reasonably believe it is immediately necessary to protect yourself against another’s unlawful force. Deadly force is justified only to protect against death, serious bodily injury, kidnapping, rape, or forcible sodomy.¹⁰

Even then, you cannot use deadly force if you know you can avoid the threat with complete safety by retreating, surrendering property someone claims a right to, or complying with a demand to stop doing something you have no legal duty to do. You have no obligation to retreat from your home or workplace, unless you started the confrontation or you are attacked at a workplace you know is also your attacker’s. If you provoked the confrontation with the intent of causing death or serious injury, self-defense is off the table entirely.¹⁰

Visitors and Out-of-State Permits

Hawaii does not honor concealed carry licenses from any other state. A permit from Texas, Florida, Utah, or anywhere else has no legal effect here, and carrying on an out-of-state license exposes you to the same criminal penalties as carrying without one. Hawaii has no formal reciprocity agreements. Because residency is a hard eligibility criterion, visitors have no pathway to legally carry a concealed firearm during a trip to the islands.¹

A Note for Law Enforcement Officers

The federal Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act does not override Hawaii law. The state Department of the Attorney General has stated that active qualified law enforcement officers and qualified retired law enforcement officers must comply with Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 134 in addition to meeting federal requirements, which means going through state registration and licensing like anyone else.¹¹

1
Justia Law. Hawaii Revised Statutes Title 10 Chapter 134 – Section 134-9
2
Justia Law. Hawaii Revised Statutes Title 10 Chapter 134 – Section 134-7
3
Hawaiʻi Police Department. License to Carry Firearm Instructor Course Verification
4
Hawaiʻi Police Department. Supplement to Application for License to Carry Firearm Proficiency Test
5
Honolulu Police Department. Checklist for License to Carry Firearm – Civilian
6
Hawaiʻi Police Department. License to Carry Concealed and Unconcealed Application Processing Procedures
7
Hawaiʻi Police Department. License to Carry Firearm Applicant Information
8
Office of the Governor. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Upholds Crucial Laws Regulating Concealed Carry of Firearms
9
Supreme Court of the United States. Docket for 24-1046 – Wolford v. Lopez
10
Justia Law. Hawaii Revised Statutes Title 37 Chapter 703 – Section 703-304
11
Department of the Attorney General, State of Hawaii. Law Enforcement Index Page