While we're on the topic of Hawaii, I hope nobody minds me butting in. I, too, may get to Hawaii soon and was wondering about any restrictions on bringing along a hunting rifle. I've heard Hawaii has some pretty strict gun laws. Thanks, Ed

Aloha BigEd,

You are correct, Hawaii has the most anti-gun laws on the books. Technically, an out-of-state hunter is to leave his weapon with the Chief of police in the respective county and make application for possession. The application time is 14 days!! This applies to long guns and handguns.

Of course, no one complies and no one enforces this ridiculous law, and not many know of it, including the general police force, and fish and game wardens.

As in the past, hunters bring in their firearms, go hunting, and leave with their firearms. If they leave their firearms in Hawaii, the burden lies with the Hawaii resident who has possession. He must make application for possession. The only time our silly law may come into play is if the non-resident hunter commits a crime, or offense with the weapon and is prosecuted by the State or respective county.

Hawaii does not allow, recognize, or permit concealed carry or even open carry. If you are caught with a firearm in a non-hunting area, you can be arrested for being offensively armed. You are only allowed to transport firearms to and from the shooting range. So, we all break the law when going to and from the airport or to the hunting area. We are not allowed to have a firearm within 500 or 1,000 feet(?) of a school. My home is within 200 ft. of a school, so every day, I break the law.

However, don't allow our anti-gun laws to deter you from hunting in Hawaii. Besides the obvious beaches, unbeknownst to most visitors, we have some of the best hunting in the country. This is due to the anti-gun sentiment here, and since hunting usually involves firearms,our tourism authority has intentionally avoided all inference or promotion of hunting for visitors.

Geoff