All four county police departments in Hawaiʻi are officially processing and signing concealed carry weapons licenses.
This comes after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a New York law that required individuals to show proper cause, or an actual need, to carry a concealed handgun in public for self-defense.
The Honolulu Police Department was the last to begin issuing permits. Chief Joe Logan signed the first license on Wednesday. He said the City and County of Honolulu still has about 600 applications awaiting processing.
"As a police chief, it's not something I thought I would have to do when I applied for this position a year and a half ago. But the Supreme Court has stated that we in Hawaiʻi, along with six other states, will do this. And so we are there," he said.
"It took a few more months than I anticipated. I have several other applications pending a final review. And I will sign those as they become prepared and cross my desk. Of the 600, we're looking at right now at less than 10 that I have fully completed and I'm working to approve," Logan said.
Logan and the department faced criticism earlier this year for imposing new rules, which some gun advocates called too lengthy.
The revised concealed carry permitting process includes a four-hour firearm training program and testing requirements on top of a background and mental health check for a one-year permit.
Logan said applications can take one week to more than a month to reach his desk, depending on outside agency approvals.
Meanwhile, local governments across the country are discussing laws to establish “sensitive places,” where concealed firearms are not allowed.
The Supreme Court’s decision left room for municipalities to define where those places would be, which then prompted Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi's administration to draft Bill 57 in early November, outlining where they could be for the island.
The Honolulu bill would name sensitive places as any city-owned building, school, or public transportation vehicle among other areas. The bill also names more specific places, like the Honolulu Zoo and the Hawaiʻi Children's Discovery Center.
The bill is likely to see more discussion and amendments in the coming weeks.
