Hawai‘i Lt. Gov. Seeks Legal Opinion on Gun Law

Hawai‘i Lieutenant Governor Doug Chin today announced that he’s requesting a legal opinion from the State Attorney General to clarify the authority of county police chiefs to issue licenses permitting individuals to carry unconcealed firearms.

“I care deeply about public safety and it’s very important that we uphold Hawai‘i firearm laws for everyone’s benefit, ” said Lt. Governor Chin.

In July of this year, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals sided with a Big Island resident that the Second Amendment affords the right to openly carry a gun in public for self-defense. A panel of three judges ruled 2-1 in favor of George Young’s attempt to obtain a license to openly carry a firearm in public to protect himself.

Young sued Hawaiʻi County in 2012. The State defended the constitutionality of the law in written briefs before the Ninth Circuit when Lt. Governor Chin was the attorney general.