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Finally got my first duty station - Oahu. I went there for about a week in high school and loved it, but that was before I got into shooting. I don't know whether the future wife and I will be living on post or not. If we do, I'm not even going to look into bringing any of my firearms but I am hoping there will be enough to keep us busy without them. Any members here that live or have lived there?
When you get there see if you can get radiation readings to prove the You tube reports on the Fukushima nuke plant problem spewing radiation to the pacific ocean and west coast of the usa. Hawaii is almost paradise.
Yeah, I've been back for a while, but I doubt a ton changes. Eurodriver was there around the same time as me, I know Honu has spent a ton of time around Oahu.
As a first duty station - don't hesitate to spend as much time as possible as far away from base as possible. You'll be pretty busy with stuff when you first get there, but get used to being at the beach.
Which station anyway?
Was over there 4 years (03-07). Loved every minute of it.
I spend a lot of time on Oahu since my wife is from there. Most gun laws there mirror California. Still they do have ranges and clubs.
http://www.khsc.info
http://2ahawaii.com
http://www.hawaiishooters.com/forums/
Short version:
Bringing guns you already own into the state is cake, just take them to the police station to register them within 72 hrs. of arriving. But be sure to check the black-list before you bring them. (NO class-3, NO "Assault Pistols", etc. At least it's not as bad as CA) You may want to call ahead for an appointment... The lines get pretty long, and the hours are a little sporadic.
Buying guns once you're here sucks. Need a "Permit to Aquire". For long guns, it's not so bad... once a year renewal, as many purchases as you want... but for handguns, it's one permit for EACH purchase... with the requisite bureaucratic time-waste, and several trips back and forth between your FFL and the HPD.
CCW doesn't exist. We're a "May issue" state... and the PD brass are all anti-gunners, most of the LEO's I've met, not so much... but they've got their orders.
Link to the statues: http://www.honolulupd.org/informatio...p?page=gunmain
Looks like I'll be at Schofield Barracks.Quote:
Originally Posted by TehLlama
Thanks for the info, I did a little looking last night and they aren't as bad as I thought, though I had heard about the CCW stuff. Now it'll just depend if I live on post or not I guess.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ice_Pick
I was at Schofield from 01-09 ... 2nd BCT (Stryker), 25th ID, was lucky to be on the Divisions first deployment since Vietnam.. and shared in the joys of transformation from Light to Stryker
Schofield is great.. should have all new housing & barracks along with the renovated barracks from WW2
If you are married I wouldn't recommend living in Ewa Beach unless they finally figured out the traffic problems
There will be alot to do there without needing your guns, plus when I was there, burglaries were frequent
I just opted out of finishing my Army Career in Hawaii for Colorado Springs
Born and raised in Mililani which is just down Kam highway from Schofield and left a little over a year ago.
Cant beat the weather. The mountains just behind the base is about as georgous a backdrop as you can get. The beach is only about 15 minutes away.
Traffic can be a headache though. Construction for rail has begun I think throughout downtown so if you need to go through there make sure to take that into account. I swear everything on Oahu is like 20-30 minutes away without traffic. Once theres an accident or construction somewhere on the freeways than add another 20 minutes to an hour. Thats honestly the only thing I dont miss. And the 55 mph limit, which some locals take to mean 40.
I would strongly suggest taking advantage of the MWR oppurtunities that are on and off island. I didnt and that is one of my regrets. You can rent cabins on at least three different islands and the airfare is pretty cheap. The locations are pretty damn nice but are off the beaten path, like Barking Sands on Kauai, but its nice to not have to deal with tourist crowding.
Gun laws are kind of restrictive but not as bad as Cali(where im at now :(). Theres one public range at Koko head and I think there are a few more indoor ranges than there were when I left. Ammo is pretty expensive but thats like everything else there.
Thanks for the info guys. The fiance and I are big beach people so obviously looking forward to that (one thing I miss about San Diego). The MWR stuff is a great suggestion too. I lived in Iceland on the base there before it closed and MWR had so much awesome stuff to do but I hadn't even thought about it yet for Hawaii. Off the beaten path sounds perfect.
One more thing, there is a mag capacity limit (10) for pistols. It can be argued that since AR pistols exist, 30 rd STANAGs are high capacity pistol mags and are thus banned. No one really enforces it, but I've seen cops mention it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Wake27
I've spent about 20 yrs there.
There's apparently a new(ish) outdoor range that like no one has heard of before with much further distance than kokohead. I forget the name, but I saw their flier at kokohead a couple months back.
Edit: Nm found it, http://puuloa.com and apparently it's only open during matches.
There are some who say this... But you can buy 30 rd. Pmags at nearly every gun store... where as, NO ONE sells full-cap Glock mags.Quote:
Originally Posted by Koshinn
The law states you can't have a magazine that fits into a pistol, which holds more than 10 rounds. But I'm pretty sure a good case can be made... that since the statute also defines the AR-pistol (and Uzi, and others) as an "assault pistol"... therefore a STANAG mag doesn't fit into a "pistol" it fits into an "assault pistol"... and is therefore legal.
But I'm not a lawyer... and I don't even play one on TV...
Oh wow that mentions HDF and Chris Baker. He just moved to Cali... Unfortunately that means HDF might soon die. It's sad, I know a lot of the founders too, one is married to a friend I've known since Kindergarten, I talk to Baker all the time on FB, and another I went to law school with. I highly encourage joining HDF if it survives... They sued the Chief of Police, Mayor, Gov, etc. Because the ccl law is actually an outright ban because there are basically no ccls issued at all. It's at the 9th circuit right now on appeal.Quote:
Originally Posted by Caribe
Yeah I'm actually family friends with the former state prosecutor and former mayor and I asked him that same thing, the contradiction that the only pistols they fit in aren't allowed. He said he wasn't going to answer that question, lol.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ice_Pick
I'm also family friends with the current mayor. He actually announced my birth in the newspaper... As you can guess, my family is very very liberal.
I also argued that since an assault pistol is defined as having a removable magazine, an AR pistol with a bullet button or other Cali shenanigan feature would be legal. The state also makes no outright ban of SBRs, just rifles with barrels under 16" in length... So an SBR actually fits in the assault pistol definition under State law. Therefore I might be able to bring my SBR back to Hawaii if I bullet button it, lol. But I'm not moving back there any time soon.
My tip is to bring all your guns to register at once. When you get fingerprinted for the first time, you'll need exact change, down to the cent. To make it more manageable, I'd just bring receivers to the station. Also, do it on a day of leave and get there before it opens. There is literally only one place to register guns on the entire island, so you can guess how crowded it gets.
That is pretty much exactly what I've heard from people that know the AG... Don't ask!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Koshinn
But I never thought about the SBR thing... I'll have to do some more digging... not that I have a budget for a new SBR.
One of the perks of NOT being on Oahu... no traffic, and each of the "bigger" towns has a PD that will take registrations.
When Grant sent me my BCM Middy a few months ago.. I was able to pop in on my lunch hour to get it registered!!
Applicable sections are HRS 134-1:Quote:
Originally Posted by Ice_Pick
"Pistol" or "revolver" means any firearm of any shape with a barrel less than sixteen inches in length and capable of discharging loaded ammunition or any noxious gas.
And
"Assault pistol" means a semiautomatic pistol which accepts a detachable magazine and which has two or more of the following characteristics...
And HRS 134-8, which bans
"rifles with barrel lengths less than sixteen inches"
...which can be construed to be meaningless due to HRS 134-1 which defines any firearm with barrel length under 16" as a pistol. The main takeaway is that it does not ban SBRs by name, only by description.
So a bullet buttoned SBR would theoretically be Hawaii-legal, but still require an NFA stamp.
I'm not willing to test it with a felony, but when I get around to it, I'll ask an attorney actually licensed there.
Ahhh, Hawaii. Made many port stops there before and after deployments, and had a few vacations as well. I dont have any recommendations as far as living goes, but I can say the the Hale Koa Hotel is a must. Its right on the beach in Waikiki and is only for servicemembers. We had so much fun staying there because the rooms are nice, but still affordable. Check it out when you have a free weekend. Great beach bar, free drinks at the luau, usually a comedy show to see, and I BELIEVE they even have an MWR desk at the check in.
Damn, I need to go back to HI soon.
Wow that's awesome, thanks for the recommendation. I liked Waikiki quite a bit but loved Kauai.Quote:
Originally Posted by LowSpeed_HighDrag
Ya the Hale Koa is a good spot, can use the pool there anytime with just your ID.Quote:
Originally Posted by Wake27
Spent over 5 years there from 06-11. For firearm related stuff OGC Tactical probably best gun store on island, it's in downtown Honolulu.
Teddy's bigger burgers in Kailua is probably the best burgers I've ever had.
The Hilton Hawaiian has submarine tours you can take of parts of the man made reef. Shark cage dives off north shore, north shore shark adventures I believe. Polynesian cultural center If you want to see a Polynesian Epcot, the food is good at the luau and has a show at the end of the day( if go to show get the ice cream they offer).
I'll second the plug for OGC and Teddys. Bought my first firearm from OGC and they treated me right. Teddys is pretty damn tasty. My favorite burger spot though was Kua Aina. Aww man, now you got me thinking about all of the food I miss. :(Quote:
Originally Posted by JoshuaJJackson
I was at the Hale Koa this summer and it is starting to show it's age. But for the cost it's not so bad. It's just not being maintained.Quote:
Originally Posted by LowSpeed_HighDrag
Kua Aina and Teddys are both great. But W&M is where it's at!Quote:
Originally Posted by kazbot
OP, you have to go to W&M Burgers. It's almost literally a hole-in-the-wall and you won't see any tourists there. Parking is hard to get, hours are limited, there are no seats and no drive through, but the burgers and fries are amazing. It often beats out both Kua Aina and Teddys in "best burger" votes, but those three generally swap places depending on who's conducting the poll/survey. If it's by local votes, W&M wins. If it's by restaurant critics, Kua Aina or Teddys generally wins.
We'll have to take a look then, I knew a place or two like that in San Diego that were awesome.Quote:
Originally Posted by Koshinn
OP - since you and the Mrs are beach people, I'd opt for living in Halemano Mil. reservation (HMR) which is the mil housing out towards Haleiwa beach. It's literally across from the old pineapple fields and next to the coffee fields leading out to the North Shore.
Hopefully the state didnt sell those lands to developers or military
Learn to love the Big Isle cause I'm sure you will be on PTA alot as a grunt.
I appreciate all of the insight I've gotten so far guys, please keep it coming. I just started another thread about actually getting my guns there if anyone has any advice on that.
Last time I went, Duke's/Barefoot Bar was pretty good. Teddy's was ok, but There are so many Amazing burger joints here in the southeast, that it is hard to find one as good. Teddy's reminds me of steak and shake or some other chain. Uncle Bo's PuPu bar was really good as well.
My advice - choose another state. Hawaii basically sucks for gun owners. I've lived on Oahu( honolulu) and every year the Democratic ruled goverment has tried to change the laws to attempt to seize our guns OR tax them into non existence. This year they proposed to increase the taxes on gun purchases by 40% and raise tax on ammo by 50%. You'll also need to apply for a "federal license" whatever that means to prove you can buy ammo in that caliber.
So you need to own a gun in that caliber or you can't buy ammo.
It's not a political statement when I say Democrats - it's just we have had the same party in power for almost 40 years with the exception of Govenor Linda Lingle. I thought she did a fine job but there are alot of underline factors on why the Democrats keep getting re-elected. A majority being that the unions are very strong in a limited population base island, and are in bed with the current goverment.
IN CONCLUSION- if you love the 2nd amendment then seach for another state. Hawaii sucks for gun owners and the cost of living is outrageous.