HONOLULU — A record number of firearms were registered in Hawaii last year.
A state attorney general report released Thursday says about 21,500 permits to acquire firearms were issued in 2013. That covers nearly 61,000 firearms registered — a nearly 21 percent increase from 2012.
The report was prepared by Paul Perrone, chief of research for the attorney general. He says Hawaii is the only state that registers firearms on a statewide level.
The permit allows someone to purchase a firearm, transport it to a shooting range or gunsmith or use it for hunting. Carrying a gun in public in Hawaii requires a license that’s approved sparingly by county police chiefs.
Kauai’s police chief approved one carry license last year. Perrone says that’s the first one reported statewide since at least 2000.