Maui’s Online Firearm Permitting System Raises Serious Legal Concerns
from HIFICO March 17, 2026
The County of Maui has implemented an online firearm permitting and registration system through a private vendor, Permitium. Marketed as a modernization effort, the system allows individuals to apply for permits to acquire firearms, register firearms, and submit concealed carry applications entirely online, while also processing payments digitally.
At first glance, this may appear to be a simple convenience upgrade. But a closer look reveals a system that raises serious legal and constitutional concerns.
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## The System and Its Fees
Under Maui’s new system, residents are required to use an online platform that imposes multiple additional fees on top of those authorized by Hawaiʻi law.
Applicants are now being charged:
- A $5 “convenience fee”
- An issuance fee
- A credit card processing fee
These fees are layered on top of the only fee Hawaiʻi law explicitly allows in this context—the fee associated with the Hawaiʻi Criminal Justice Data Center (HCJDC) for fingerprinting and processing.
While statutory fees such as:
- $42 fingerprinting (HCJDC-related)
- $150 initial concealed carry
- $50 CCW renewal
are authorized under Hawaiʻi law, the addition of multiple extra fees raises a fundamental legal question:
Where in Hawaiʻi law are these additional charges authorized?
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## Separate from User Fees: The County’s Contractual Obligations
Beyond the fees being charged to residents, the County of Maui has also entered into a contract with the vendor that obligates the County to pay for the system itself.
According to the contract, the County agreed to pay up to $54,000 for the implementation and operation of this online permitting platform.
This is a critical distinction:
- The County is already paying the vendor directly for the service;
- Yet residents are also being charged multiple additional fees to use that same system.
This raises an obvious concern:
Why are residents being charged extra fees for a system that the County has already paid for?
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## Hawaiʻi Law Strictly Limits Fees
Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes clearly define what fees may be charged in connection with firearm registration and permitting.
Under HRS §134-3, the law states:
> “No fee shall be charged for the registration of a firearm except as provided for by the Hawaii criminal justice data center for fingerprinting and photographing.”
This language is direct and unambiguous.
The Legislature has explicitly limited fees to those tied to the Hawaiʻi Criminal Justice Data Center. There is no provision allowing counties—or their contractors—to impose additional convenience fees, issuance fees, or credit card processing charges.
The stacking of multiple fees in Maui’s system is not a minor administrative detail—it is a significant departure from what the law allows.
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## Firearm Registration Records Are Confidential by Law
Equally concerning is how this system handles sensitive firearm registration data.
Hawaiʻi law places strict limits on access to this information.
Under HRS §134-3, the statute provides:
> “All records of registration shall be retained by the police department of the county of registration. The records shall be confidential and shall not be disclosed except as provided by law.”
This is a clear legal directive.
Firearm registration records are:
- Confidential
- Restricted from disclosure
- Only shareable if another law explicitly authorizes it
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## The Law Does Not Authorize Third-Party Access
Importantly, HRS §134-3 does not provide a list of permitted disclosures.
Instead, it establishes a strict rule:
- Disclosure is prohibited
- Unless another law explicitly allows it
There is no statute in Hawaiʻi law that authorizes firearm registration data to be shared with a private vendor for processing or storage.
By routing applications and registration data through a third-party system, Maui County raises serious questions:
- Is firearm registration data being disclosed outside government control?
- What legal authority allows a private company to access this information?
- Who ultimately controls and safeguards these records?
The statute places custody squarely with the police department and restricts disclosure accordingly.
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## A System That Goes Beyond the Law
Taken together, these issues point to a broader problem.
Maui’s online permitting system:
- Imposes multiple fees not authorized by statute
- Stacks charges on residents beyond what the law allows
- Charges users despite the County already paying for the system
- Introduces third-party access to confidential firearm records
- Expands beyond the limits clearly set by Hawaiʻi law
This is not simply modernization—it is a structural change to a tightly regulated legal process.
And that change appears to have occurred without legislative authorization.
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## The Bottom Line
The people of Hawaiʻi are entitled to a system that follows the law—not one that adds layers of fees and shares sensitive data beyond what is authorized.
If counties wish to modernize firearm permitting, they must do so within the boundaries set by the Legislature.
Until then, serious questions remain:
- Why are residents being charged multiple fees not authorized by law?
- Why are residents being charged at all when the County is already paying for the system?
- Why is confidential firearm data being handled by a private company?
- And who is ensuring compliance with Hawaiʻi statutes?
The Hawaiʻi Firearms Coalition calls for full transparency, accountability, and immediate review of Maui County’s online firearm permitting system.
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## Call to Action
In light of these concerns, the Hawaiʻi Firearms Coalition calls on the Maui Police Department to take immediate corrective action.
The Maui Police Department should:
- Immediately cease the collection of any fees not authorized by Hawaiʻi law, including convenience fees, issuance fees, and credit card processing charges; and
- Issue refunds to all individuals who have been charged these unauthorized fees
The law is clear. Government agencies do not have the authority to create new fees beyond those established by the Legislature.
Until these practices are corrected, Maui residents will continue to be subjected to charges that appear to have no basis in Hawaiʻi law.
The public deserves compliance. The public deserves accountability. And the public deserves their money back.