HPD chief urges community to call 911 if legal guns not concealed

If you see a person walking around Oahu with a gun that is visible after the Honolulu Police Department begins issuing concealed-carry weapon licenses, please call 911, Honolulu Police Chief Arthur “Joe” Logan told the Honolulu Star-­Advertiser’s “Spotlight Hawaii” livestream program Monday.

Officers will be dispatched and investigate, Logan said, and police will need a physical description of the alleged illegal gun carrier, what was seen, what time, a location and any other information that would aid the investigation.

“Obviously, concealed carry and the definition of ‘conceal’ means that you can’t see it or it is unrecognizable to the average person,” said Logan. “If it is noticed and you can see it, I would ask you to call 911.”

There are about 600 pending applications for CCW licenses on Oahu, and the HPD is processing them in the order in which they were received.

Applications are valid for 90 days to allow for compliance with a long list of background checks, mental health evaluations, live-fire training and other requirements that must be met before HPD issues a card, with the gun owner’s picture on it, that is about the size of a Hawaii driver’s license.

If a gun owner forgets his CCW license, it is considered a misdemeanor criminal offense

Honolulu is the last county in Hawaii to issue CCW licenses in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s June ruling in New York State Rifle &Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen. Justices nullified a New York state law limiting who can have a permit to carry a pistol outside of their home.

Logan has said he wants to comply with the high court ruling and that the HPD is not waiting for the city to complete action on Bill 57, which would define “sensitive locations” on Oahu like schools, public transportation and voting centers where guns will be prohibited.

Firearms also would be banned at Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, the Hawaii Children’s Discovery Center, the Honolulu Aquarium and the Hono­lulu Zoo. Additionally, armed concealed-­carry license holders would have to stay 100 feet from the outer edge of groups of 25 or more people gathered in public spaces and participating in “First Amendment expressive activities.”

The state Legislature is expected to take up the issue of whether to adopt uniform state standards for where guns may be legally carried when it starts a new session in January. Bill 57 passed the first reading at a special City Council meeting Nov. 29, but needs work in committee and must be voted on twice more by the full Council to achieve final passage.

Logan is meeting with each member of the Council to make clear that the law should be as clear as possible so the public understands the rules and police officers know how to enforce them.

“We believe (guns should not be carried) in sensitive places that are logical in nature,” said Logan, listing hospitals and schools and places where “keiki hang out.”

Clearing up questions about what to do if you are legally armed but forced to enter a “sensitive place” through no fault of your own is critical to making the law work.

“The way the language of the law is written is really going to impact how we enforce,” said Logan, using the example of a person legally armed whose spouse needs them to pick up their child at the last minute. “It’s something we need to figure out.”

Police officers are asked to risk their lives every day to keep the community safe and enforce the law, Logan said, and a new regulation regarding deadly weapons has to be clear.

“It becomes a little difficult for us on an enforcement level,” said Logan. “We’re already asking our officers to do a lot.”