Following a slew of victories by 2A advocates in an uphill fight against Hawaii's "no issue" concealed carry process, Chief Joe Logan last week signed the first license to carry a concealed firearm in Honolulu County.
With a population of just over a million, some 70 percent of the state's population lives in Honolulu County, but up until December 2022, it had no active concealed carry permits issued – no matter what a slew of formulaic police and private detective TV shows set in the county over the past 50 years would have the public believe.
This only recently changed after the June 2022 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, which found the Empire State's "good cause" test constitutionally suspect and out of whack when compared to historical tradition.
The Bruen case threw new fire on a host of Hawaii-based challenges stretching back a decade. For some perspective, in 2012, just four private citizens applied for a concealed carry license in the city and county of Honolulu, while one applied in Maui County, and all five were denied at the discretion of the respective county police chief.
Local gun rights groups were excited at the progress, slow as it may be to materialize.
"This is a historic day when the right of the people to keep and bear arms is finally acknowledged in Honolulu. Chief Logan has signed the first CCW permit, the first permit issued in modern history for Honolulu. We are pleased to see Honolulu following Kauai, Maui, and Hawaii counties in issuing permits," said the Hawaii Firearms Coalition. "We have come a long way in the 2A movement in Hawaii and the Nation. It has been a long road for this day to arrive."
Besides encouraging others to apply for their CCWs, the Coalition said the struggle is still very real when it comes to recognizing gun rights in the 50th State.
"The fight continues. Gun control advocates are attempting to pass sensitive places carry bans and restrictive CCW legislation awaits in the counties and the State legislature. Challenges in the courts will continue to combat these restrictions in GOA v. Hochul on New York's CCW restrictions along with upcoming lawsuits in Hawaii," said the group.
Banner image: An M1911A1, with some Hawaiian flair. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
