A Hawaii firearm bill of sale shows proof of a gun sale or trade. It documents formal ownership change and helps mitigate risk in a highly regulated transaction.
State law requires all firearms to be registered with local law enforcement, and the bill of sale helps ensure compliance with the state’s firearm regulations.
State Laws for Selling a Gun in Hawaii
Minimum Age to Purchase
To obtain a handgun, or a shotgun or rifle for the first time, you must be at least 21 years old and a U.S. citizen. [1]
Permit for Purchase
Anyone who purchases a firearm for the first time in Hawaii must obtain a permit from the chief of police of the county of the buyer’s place of business or residence before taking possession of the firearm. [2]
A private party seller must ask a potential buyer for their permit to acquire before selling or transferring ownership of the firearm.
Register a Gun
A Hawaii firearm transfer form provides the information required to register the firearm with the state. It’s illegal to possess an unregistered firearm.
The registration is valid until you sell or dispose of the firearm.
Open Carry Permit
Hawaii allows the open carry of handguns with a valid permit or license. [3]
Concealed Carry Permit
To legally carry a firearm in Hawaii, you must apply for a License to Carry Concealed Firearm or a License to Carry Unconcealed Firearm.
How to Apply
To be eligible, you must be over 21 and have a Hawaii mailing address.
Take the following documentation with you to apply:
- Government-issued photo identification.
- A passport-sized, front-facing photo of yourself.
- Proof of completion of a firearms training or safety course that meets state criteria. [4]
- A notarized affidavit from a verified instructor attesting that you have completed the state’s gun safety and proficiency education requirements.
- A copy of a signed firearms registration registered in your name.
- Application for a license to carry.
- Adult Mental Health Division Waiver.
- HIPAA Authorization to Release Protected Health Information Waiver.
- State of Hawaii Permit to Acquire Firearms Application Questionnaire.
Follow the steps below to apply for a permit:
- Step 1 – Complete Application: Fill out the Hawaii Police Department Application for License to Carry Firearms.
- Step 2 – Submit Registration: Attach a copy of the signed State of Hawaii Firearms Registration for the firearm being registered for concealed carry.
- Step 3 – Attach Firearms Proficiently Test Scores: All applicants must pass a firearms proficiency test, with a passing score, within 90 days prior to application submission.
- Step 4 – Submit Photos: Attach two passport-sized front-facing photos (taken within 30 days prior to applying).
- Step 5 – Sign Protected Health Authorization
- Step 6 – Wait for Approval or Denial: The police chief will evaluate all documents and criteria to determine if the resident may be approved for a concealed carry permit.
Gun Reciprocity
Hawaii does not recognize any other state’s issued firearms permits or licenses.
Restrictions on Firearm Ownership
The following individuals cannot purchase a firearm in Hawaii: [5]
- Persons under 21 years of age.
- Anyone who is not a US citizen. If you weren’t born in the United States, you must provide proof of citizenship.
- Fugitives from justice.
- Persons prohibited from possession of firearms under federal law.
- Any persons under indictment or who waived indictment or have been bound to the court on felony charges, for any crime of violence or illegal sale of a controlled substance.
- Persons convicted of a felony, violent crime, or the illegal sale of a controlled substance.
- Anyone who is or has been under treatment for an addiction to drugs or alcohol.
- Persons acquitted of a crime on the grounds of mental disease or disorder.
- Any person diagnosed with significant behavioral, emotional, or mental disorders or receiving treatment for organic brain syndromes.
- Persons under 25 years of age who have been found guilty in a family court of a felony, two or more violent crimes, or the illegal sale of a controlled substance.
- Individuals named in a restraining order that prohibits them from contacting, threatening, or physically abusing another person.
Additionally, no transfer of a rifle with a barrel length of sixteen inches or longer, or any shotgun with a barrel length of eighteen inches or longer, whether serviceable or unserviceable, usable or unusable, registered under prior law or by a prior owner or unregisterd, modern or antique, shall be made to any person under eighteen, except as provided by Haw. Rev. Stat. § 134-5. [6]
Firearm Inheritance Laws
If you inherit or are gifted a firearm in Hawaii, you must apply for a permit to acquire and register the firearm before taking ownership (Haw. Rev. Stat. Chapter 134).
All firearms must be registered with a Hawaii police department within five days of purchase or acquisition. Assault pistols are prohibited under state law. If you inherit one, you must render it inoperable, sell or transfer it to a licensed firearms dealer, or turn it in to Hawaii police within 90 days.
