Hawaii Island concealed-carry licenses jump 54 percent in 2025

Hawaii Island ended 2025 with 656 active concealed-carry licenses, a jump of 231 from the year before and a 54.4 percent increase that outpaced the island’s share of the state’s adult population.

The new tally means Hawaii County accounted for 17.4 percent of all active concealed-carry licensees in Hawaii even though residents age 21 and older made up just 14.4 percent of the state’s adult population, or 160,047 people. Statewide, 3,764 private citizens held valid concealed-carry licenses on Dec. 31, 2025, up 70.5 percent from 2,207 at the end of 2024.

The numbers put Hawaii County at the center of a fast-changing firearms picture. The Department of the Attorney General said concealed-carry licenses are valid for four years, and county police departments compile the Dec. 31 total to avoid double-counting licenses issued in prior years and renewed licenses. The 2025 release was only the second edition of the annual statewide series, but it already shows a sharp local rise and a wider shift in how residents are approaching public carry.

Statewide, concealed-carry licensees still represented a small slice of the population, about 0.34 percent of residents age 21 or older. Even so, the report said Hawaii County was overrepresented among license holders, while Maui County was underrepresented, underscoring how different islands are moving at different speeds under the same legal framework.

Hawaii Police Department Chief Reed Mahuna said he was “unable to opine” on the cause of the increase, but said there was “a significant demand” for concealed-carry permits in the community. He also said ghost guns, unlicensed firearms and unregistered firearms are more concerning to police than legally carried concealed weapons, because those are the guns officers most often associate with criminal use.

The statewide report showed 38 concealed-carry applications were denied in 2025 and eight licenses were revoked. Four administrative appeals involving denied applications or revoked licenses were resolved, rejected or still pending by year’s end. The report comes after major changes in Hawaii gun-carry law following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 Bruen decision, and after Act 52 was signed in 2023 to set objective permit standards and prohibited places for carrying firearms.

For Hawaii Island, the surge is more than a statistical footnote. It points to a larger local conversation about who is seeking the legal right to carry, how thoroughly applicants are being screened and trained, and how police and the public will navigate a county where concealed carry is becoming a more visible part of daily life.