Question 1

Are ghost guns and 80% lowers legal in Hawaii?

Accepted Answer

No. Hawaii prohibits manufacture, possession, sale, transfer, and acquisition of a ghost gun, subject to licensed-manufacturer and federal-serialization defenses. Effective 2025-06-20. Controlling law: Haw. Rev. Stat. §§ 134-1 & 134-8(a), (e).

Question 2

What law covers unfinished frames and unserialized firearms in Hawaii?

Accepted Answer

The controlling law is Haw. Rev. Stat. §§ 134-1 & 134-8(a), (e). Hawaii prohibits manufacture, possession, sale, transfer, and acquisition of a ghost gun, subject to licensed-manufacturer and federal-serialization defenses.

Question 3

When did Hawaii's unfinished frame or unserialized firearm restriction take effect?

Accepted Answer

Hawaii's rule took effect 2025-06-20. Hawaii defines a ghost gun as a firearm, frame, or receiver lacking a serial number registered with a federally licensed manufacturer. Section 134-8(e) makes it an affirmative defense that the firearm is not required to have a serial number under the federal Gun Control Act, so federal status after Defense Distributed v. Blanche can affect the defense for protected parties; the state prohibition itself remains in force.

Question 4

Are 80% lowers and self-built firearms legal under federal law?

Accepted Answer

Federal law does not prohibit making a firearm for personal use, but prohibited-person, detectable-firearm, and unlicensed manufacturing-for-sale rules still apply. On August 17, 2026, Defense Distributed v. Blanche held 27 C.F.R. §§ 478.11 and 478.12(c) unconstitutional, but the judgment did not vacate those regulations and its declaratory and injunctive relief is party-scoped. Buyers outside the protected parties remain subject to the 2022 federal frame-or-receiver rule while litigation continues; state serialization, transfer, possession, and manufacturing laws apply independently.

Federal baseline verified 2026-08-18. Scope: Unfinished firearm frames and receivers, including products marketed as 80% lowers or pistol-frame blanks, plus firearms privately made without a serial number. Serialized stripped receivers transferred as firearms are outside this class's unfinished/unserialized restrictions.

Are Ghost Guns and 80% Lowers Legal in Hawaii?

Litigation Status and Details

Federal baseline

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