Isle gun Firearm permit applications and registration increased last year, continuing a three-year trend, according to a report by the state Attorney General's Office.
registration
up 10.6%
Permit applications are also
up for the third straight yearBy Nelson Daranciang
ndaranciang@starbulletin.comHawaii's four county police departments processed 6,990 firearms permit applications last year, compared with 6,829 in 2001, a 2.4 percent increase, and 6,489 in 2000, a 7.7 percent increase.
However, the number of firearms registered in the state rose 10.6 percent last year, to 15,822 from 14,305 in 2001. That was a 16.2 percent increase over 2000, when 13,617 firearms were registered.
Art Ong, president and general manager of Magnum Firearms, attributes much of the increase in firearm registration to more gun owners entering the state.
State law requires permits for gun purchases. People who come to Hawaii with firearms they purchased out of state are only required to register their weapons.
Fewer than half of the guns registered in the state last year, or 46.9 percent, were imported. That is slightly higher that the 45.9 percent in 2001 and lower than the 53.1 percent in 2000.
Ong said a more recent trend he has noticed is an increase in the number of people attending gun safety classes, which is a requirement for a handgun permit. Fourteen to 16 people have been attending his basic pistol classes Saturdays, compared with four to five just a few weeks ago, he said.
"A lot of guys are acquiring guns because of the insecurity of the impending war," he said.
A person needs only one permit to buy as many long guns (rifles and shotguns) as he wants within a year, although each gun must be registered individually.
On Oahu and in Maui County, a person may make a one-time purchase of multiple handguns with only one permit but must register each gun.
On Kauai and the Big Island, a permit is required for each handgun purchase.
Of the firearm permit applications submitted last year, 6,646, or 95.1 percent, were approved and resulted in permits issued. Another 3.4 percent, or 241 applications, were approved but were later voided when the applicants failed to pick up their permits within 20 days. And 103 applications, 1.5 percent, were rejected due to one or more disqualifying factors. The 2001 rejection rate was 2 percent.
Paul Perrone, chief of research and statistics at the Attorney General's Office, said considering the state's stringent requirements and long list of disqualifying factors, the small rejection rate indicates that the people purchasing firearms are "squeaky-clean, law-abiding citizens."
Some of the rejected applications were submitted by convicted felons, who are prohibited by law from possessing firearms.
Drunken-driving convictions were the most common reason applications were rejected last year, a total of 21, or 20.4 percent, of the rejected applications.
A court-ordered alcohol abuse assessment as part of a sentence for drunken driving is considered a form of mental health treatment, which is a disqualifying factor for a firearm permit.
People can reapply with a doctor's note indicating the applicant is no longer adversely affected.
Department of the Attorney General
