Hawaii residents pushing for 2A rights

Gentlemen/women/2a supporters and fellow shooters,

I realize this post might be off cue for this board. I will be in Georgia next year and cannot wait, but as I am active duty Military stationed in Hawaii (and have been for way too long) and being from a CCW/OC pro family that covers Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, and various other like minded states , I would like to bring our plight to your attention, ask for your support, and mainly your sound advice. If you have looked at reciprocity map lately, you will notice Hawaii is not onboard.

We have been actively pursuing a CCW law here that makes sense for some time. Hawaii is a "shall issue" state by charter, yet citizens cannot get a permit here because the Chief of Police has sole approval on all applications and he approves none. By our count the number of applications approved (which seems to be state secrets at times) has been ~3 in 15 years. We have doubled the disapproved applications by that number in only 3 weeks. Due to the application process and at the discouragement of the Firearms Registration staff, the process has been made difficult at best. They seem willing to comply with the process, but often mention it is a waste of our time and money.

The gun laws here are so restrictive that the average gun buyer has to make a minimal of two trips (weekdays only) to the police station to buy a handgun and must register all firearms. You actually have to pay for the firearm before you even register it!

We are limited to 10 round magazines for pistols and can only transport our weapons to approved locations (technically, I can't even pick up my buddies at their home to go shooting at our only state run gun range if I have a firearm legally stored in the car). NFA weapons and class 3 are prohibited. You can only obtain an FFL if you operate from a storefront here. This law was changed within the last 10 years, pf which appears to be for the sole purpose of prohibiting the average person from obtaining an FFL. Business zoned property prices in Hawaii prohibit the average citizen from accomplishing this feat just by sheer price alone. I pay $2870 for my rent for a 3 bedroom house in robbery ridden neighborhood....imagine property prices zoned as business. By my recent count there are less than 10 FFLs listed (only 4 answer phone or email, all of them are grandfathered under the law) here for a fluctuating population of close to 950,000. I suspect the census is incorrect and the number of legal citizens is much higher.

The proof is out that the registration process is ineffective and a waste of taxpayer dollars. I had a friend that had guns stolen in the mainland and looked to the Honolulu Firearms Registration Unit for help in obtaining the serial numbers as his paperwork was still in shipment and they could not find his paperwork. Both firearms had been registered in the last 2 years. I use a Wyoming Hunters safety course that I took in 1987 to buy my guns here....I was barely 11 years old, but it is still valid for the purchase of all firearms in the state. The rest of the population has to take a firearms familiarization class that is overbooked or a hunters safety course...also overbooked and usually standing room only.

We recently founded hawaiiccw.com and we are gaining support at a rapid pace and strongly desire to be one of the states on the list that issues permits and reciprocity.

Supporting groups recently were able to convince the state that the Castle Doctrine makes sense and that the "must retreat" policy is invalid. We were also able to convince the Governor that the confiscation of firearms during a state emergency were a bad idea. We are making ground, but it is slow.

We ask for your support and your ideas. Take a look at:

http://hawaiiccw.com/
and
http://2ahawaii.com/

We are also on facebook (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=1 ... 431&v=wall)

Thanks in advance brothers and sisters...help us out, and God Bless the United States of America!

Look to see you at OC/CCW events in December of next year! I will be the guy OCing a 1911 Colt Commander and the black "Come and Take It" hat.

Your friend in the ongoing battle; we need support, awareness, and your voice. If you ever want to come here to visit, do you really want to leave your guns, personal protection and you rights in the hands of this state? We dont!

LT Chuck Caldwell
Honolulu, HI