HONOLULU — In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi is asking the Honolulu City Council to consider a draft ordinance limiting the conditions under which citizens can carry concealed firearms in Honolulu.

What You Need To Know

  • The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that New York’s 111-year-old Sullivan Act, which required that applicants seeking a license to carry a concealed pistol show proper cause, was unconstitutional

  • The decision was met with a broad range of reactions in states and municipalities across the county

  • Hawaii is one of nine states that have a “may issue” concealed carry law, which allows the state to ask applicants to justify their request to carry a concealed firearm and allows it to deny applications based on a broad set of standards

  • The mayor's proposed ordinance would keep traditional “sensitive locations” like schools, government buildings and public transportation free from firearms and create a default rule that private businesses and other organizations get to decide whether to allow firearms on their premises

“Our state has restricted public carrying of firearms for nearly 170 years and as a result, has one of the lowest gun-violence rates in the country and we want it to stay that way,” Blangiardi said.

The high court ruled in June that New York’s 111-year-old Sullivan Act, which required that applicants seeking a license to carry a concealed pistol show proper cause, was unconstitutional. The decision was met with a broad range of reactions in states and municipalities across the county. New York immediately moved to create new laws restricting concealed carry. Maryland, in contrast, ceased enforcing its requirement that applicants show “good and substantial” reason for carrying a concealed firearm.

Hawaii is one of nine states that have a “may issue” concealed carry law, which allows the state to ask applicants to justify their request to carry a concealed firearm and allows it to deny applications based on a broad set of standards. Prior to the Bruen decision, concealed carry permits were approved only for applicants who could prove “exceptional” circumstances and/or a “reason to fear injury.” That effectively limited permits to qualified active and retired law enforcement officers.

The draft ordinance Blangiardi is proposing would recognize “sensitive locations” like schools, government buildings and public transportation, where firearms are traditionally prohibited and create a default rule that private businesses and other organizations get to decide whether to allow firearms on their premises.

As the mayor’s office explained, guns would be prohibited at private businesses and charitable organizations by default, but property owners would retain the right to consent to allowing firearms on their properties.

“This default rule means that property owners do not need to spend money putting up signs saying that guns are allowed or prohibited, and it will help ease confusion — and reduce the possibility of confrontations in stores, restaurants and hospitals — as the City begins issuing licenses to carry firearms in public,” the mayor’s office said in a statement released on Thursday. 

The Honolulu Police Department will hold a hearing on Oct. 4 regarding procedures for obtaining a license to carry a firearm in public. For more information, including the draft rules and information on how to submit testimony, visit tinyurl.com/hpd-ltc-draft-rules.

Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii.