I have read elsewhere on the net that the statutory language on the ability to issue aside, as a practical reality, no carry permits are given in Hawaii, which is why I made the statement above. Massad Ayoob has written on this, and I think he said that the only two permits that had been granted were to the civilian armorers who worked for the Honolulu Police Department. Also, see
http://www.ehow.com/how_2061094_get-permit-carry-concealed-weapon.html, noting this in particular: Hawaii is a restrictive "may issue" state. Laws for firearms permits are on the books (see the Hawaii State Statutes at
www.mgawley.com for details) but permits are almost never granted. The following steps will show the official steps required to get a firearms permit in Hawaii.
From a February 2006 article in the Hawaii Reporter:
"In the last 15 years, no law abiding citizen applying for a permit to carry a concealed firearm in Honolulu has been granted one -- not one domestic violence victim, not one person whose life was in danger, not one person working where they may be robbed at gunpoint. And the police chief has no plans to change that under Hawaii’s current law, which says the police department’s highest officer "may issue" a concealed carry permit should he choose to do so.
That’s according to Honolulu Police Department Captain Raymond Ancheta, who testified at the Senate Intergovernmental Affairs Committee hearing Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2006, in opposition to SB 2531, which changes Hawaii’s law to read "shall issue" and become the nation’s 39th state to allow concealed carry of a firearm."
To my knowledge, to this day, no carry permits are given in Hawaii. If dogma512 is indeed a Hawaii resident, perhaps he can chime in with the current state of carry permits there. I go to Hawaii on business once a year, and as of last year, I was told by a member of the HPD that no carry permits are given out. I am going again next month, and will try to remember to ask again.
The first time I went to Hawaii on business and was wandering around downtown Honolulu, I was struck by the Japanese-language flyers, advertisements and sandwich boards for a couple of indoor ranges there. Apparently, Honolulu is one of the most common Japanese honeymoon destinations, with a couple of 747s coming in from Tokyo each day. And given the virtual prohibition on civilian firearms ownership in Japan, people love to come to Hawaii and shoot. So on the ads, you see these petite Japanese women with a big grin holding a large revolver. The owners of those ranges make a pretty penny from this tourism business.
PS: I just checked the Washington AG's website (
http://www.atg.wa.gov/page.aspx?id=7772) on carry permit reciprocity, and even if the OP had a Hawaii permit, it is no good in Washington. Washington currently only recognizes reciprocity for the following states: North Carolina, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Utah, and Michigan.