West Hawaii Today reports that no one on the Big Island of Hawaii has been issued a concealed carry license since 2006. That is unlikely to change following a Ninth Circuit Court ruling.
Hawaii has for years required applicants for concealed carry permits to prove they have a need for the weapon. That requirement has proved a difficult hurdle to overcome, as the denied permits pile up. How many Hawaii residents are carrying illegally? That is a question no one has an answer to, but the court’s recent ruling means that the status quo is unlikely to change any time soon.
Hawaii is a “may issue” state, meaning that people can apply for concealed carry, but are granted only if the permitting office approves the application. Since 2006, 66 applications from the Big Island have been received but none were granted. Since 2009, 12 applicants have appealed. Those appeals were also unsuccessful.
One appeals case says filed by Big Island resident George Young says that denying his concealed carry permit is a denial of his Second Amendment rights.
Hawaii’s statues says, “carrying firearms in public, openly or concealed, presents a serious public safety risk, public carry should be deemed outside the scope of the Second Amendment,” says a statement from the Hawaii Attorney General’s office.
The ruling in the case of Peruta vs. San Diego says, “There is no Second Amendment right for members of the general public to carry concealed firearms in public. The Ninth Circuit covers Western states including Hawaii and California. The decision was released June 9. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear the Ninth Circuit case.
