Firearms
Firearm Registrations:
April 14, 2026 – The Hawaiʻi Department of the Attorney General released its annual “Firearms Registration in Hawaiʻi” report today detailing firearm registration statistics for calendar year 2025.
A total of 19,364 personal/private applications for permits to acquire firearms were processed statewide during 2025, marking a 14.7% increase from 16,879 applications processed in 2024. Of the applications processed in 2025, 95.3% were approved and resulted in issued permits; a record high of 3.9% were voided (canceled/rejected for technical reasons), and 0.8% were denied due to one or more disqualifying factors, tying 2014’s record-low denial rate.
The 18,451 permits issued statewide in 2025 cover a total of 44,401 firearms registered throughout the year, resulting in a 0.5% decrease from 44,624 firearms registered during 2024. Over half (25,065, for a record high proportion of 56.5%) of the firearms registered during 2025 were imported from out-of-state, with the balance accounted for by transfers of firearms that were previously registered in Hawai‘i. Rifles and shotguns comprised a record low 37.6% (16,677) and a non-record 9.1% (4,042) of total registrations, respectively. A record high of 53.3% (23,682) of all firearms registered throughout 2025 were handguns.
Firearm registration activity increased dramatically over the course of the 26 years for which these data have been systematically compiled and reported. From 2000 through 2025, the number of statewide permit applications annually processed increased by 198.4%, the number of firearms annually registered leapt by 226.1% and the number of firearms annually imported climbed 246.8%.
Conservative estimates from the late-1990s placed the number of privately owned firearms in Hawai’i at somewhere over one million. Adding to that during the 2000 through 2024 period, a total of 902,643 firearms were registered (including some more than once, by different owners) and 470,250 were imported, while an unknown number of firearms permanently left the state.
The report, entitled “Firearm Registrations in Hawaiʻi, 2025,” provides a range of additional state and county statistics on firearm permits and registrations; permit denials and revocations; prohibited weapon confiscations, and licenses to carry firearms for private security personnel. Statistics on carry licenses for private citizens are published by the Department of the Attorney General in a new annual report series entitled “Licenses To Carry Handguns in Hawai‘i.”
Firearm Registrations in Hawaiʻi, 2025
2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000
Handgun Carry Licenses:
April 1, 2025 – The Hawaiʻi Department of the Attorney General released its first annual report detailing “License To Carry” statistics for the state and counties.
Licenses To Carry Handguns in Hawaiʻi, 2024
Other Firearm Reports:
NIBRS Offenses Involving Firearms, City & County of Honolulu, 2019-2024
Firearm-Related Violent Crimes and Registration Activity, State of Hawaii and Counties, 1994-2017
Project Safe Neighborhoods Hawaii Crime Mapping Report (2005)
Project Safe Neighborhoods in Hawaii (2004)
Firearm-Related Violent Crimes in Hawaii, 1992-2001 (Download as MS Excel)
Weapons Used in Violent Crimes, State of Hawaii, 1993-1998 (1999)
