A victim of a home invasion on Maui last week fired an AR-15-style rifle at one of three armed home invaders.

From staradvertiser.com:

Police responded to a report of shots fired at a Haiku home at about 10:35 p.m. Thursday and found three adult victims who said three males wearing hooded sweatshirts entered their home with one of them brandishing a shiny handgun.

The trio hastily retreated, shooting back as they left the residence. The suspects are reported to have taken some cash.

The bandits forced one victim into a bathroom, then walked through the house. A second victim armed himself with an AR-15 rifle and fired a round at the robbers, nearly striking one.

The three suspects fled, firing four gunshots on the way out.

No one was hurt during the robbery, police said. One victim reported the suspects took $3,000.

The police reported that they recovered a firearm at the scene of the home invasion. It’s not clear if the gun they “recovered” is shiny handgun reportedly used by the home invaders, or the AR-15 used by the home defender.

Hawaii has very restrictive gun control laws. Possession of magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of “pistol” ammunition, which includes AR-15 magazines, is a misdemeanor.

AR-15 rifles make excellent home defense tools. Their mere appearance has significant deterrent effect. We do not know what sort of ammunition was used, or the composition of the home’s walls, so speculation about over-penetration is moot. No one outside the home was reported as being wounded.

This is another case that shows the utility of semi-automatic rifles for home defense. The added difficulty of obtaining pistols legally in Hawaii is another reason for people there to use a semi-automatic rifle.

©2018 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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67 COMMENTS

  1. Duh. I got money says it was the defenders AR that was confiscated, leaving them defenseless tomorrow night.

    • This is why you always have a spare or two off site. So you can resupply if your primaries get got.

        • Off site is easy.

          Storage facility
          Trunk of your car
          Friends or Families house
          Deer Camp
          Buried in the woods nearby
          At your work if you own the business, or have a means to do so
          Some gun stores offer storage options
          Plenty of other places, you may need to get creative.

          (Yes, I do use some of those places listed above for my collection. With ARs less than $400, it might pay to have more than a few around.)

          Remember, you have the right to remain silent.

        • Duh! Obviously in your high security, underground zombie & nuke-proof three level concrete bunker!
          Don’t you have one?

          Seriously, I keep half my guns and ammo at my brother’s house.

        • In some states, it’s illegal for a customer to take a gun into a bank. I expect that, if it were well wrapped, no one would notice. However, you would still be legally vulnerable if it were discovered.

        • Why in the world would it be illegal to carry a gun into a bank? That’s just silly. For a business transaction I picked up $10,000 in cash at my bank. If somebody told me I couldn’t bring a gun with me, I’d have mentioned he could KMA and promptly changed banks. As is, I have never asked, never been told.

      • JWM,

        The real trick is deciding the offsite location to keep your spares.

        I have thought about storing some firearms and ammunition in a waterproof container underground at some rural location. The down sides:
        — It could take a while to get there.
        — Someone could find them and take them.
        — You could lose track of them and lose them permanently.
        — A reliable waterproof container large enough for long guns is expensive.

        Because of the down sides to storing underground in a rural location, I have also considered keeping some firearms and ammunition at someone’s home. And that has potential down sides:
        — Someone could find them and take them.
        — You could lose track of them and lose them permanently.

        Have any suggestions for offsite storage philosophy?

        • My solution is a small safe in a relatives garage. A relative I trust. And a small safe in a storage unit. I used to work a storage place and they aren’t perfect but they are pretty secure.

        • I would think a 6″ or 8″ schedule 80 pipe with slip caps glued on the ends would be reliably water-proof and not too expensive.

        • Jimmy Bobby,

          I have thought about exactly that: using 8-inch PVC pipe and caps. The trouble is that 8-inch PVC pipe and caps are pretty darned expensive. It would cost me about $230 to fashion two storage tubes that were both five feet long with glued end caps.

          A storage tube that is five feet long and 8 inches in diameter might hold three rifles/shotguns without scopes or pistol grips. Of course that same tube would hold a LOT of ammunition.

          Something that would hold two rifles with scopes or modern sporting rifles with pistol grips would be nice — and I don’t think an 8-inch PVC tube is it.

        • MTM makes a awesome under ground solution with o rings for around $50.00 each. It’s cheaper than 8″ sch. 40 pipe unless you plumb for a living.

        • You can store a hand gun just about anywhere. I speak from experience when I say the inside a subwoofer is a great place to hide stuff you don’t want found. A gun will need to be insulated from electrical currents. A broken cooking appliance can be disassembled and stuff stashed away into it.

          No seriously… what the hell are cops going to do? Take your easy bake oven?

        • Hiding a gun, or several in your own house is pretty easy. Just get creative. But if you have kids, do so with a trigger lock, or in a locked handgun case.

        • If I puncture someone a few times, it will not shock me to have the guilty firearm invited downtown. Any of my OTHER guns will require due process. Worst comes to worst, tomorrow morning I’ll buy a new one! But I’m in Texas, not real scared of craziness on the part of cops. I will not open the safe for them, anyhow. It weighs 600 lbs and is bolted to the concrete slab, difficult to even reach (find?), I’m thinking they would arrest me first.

        • A reliable waterproof container is easy and inexpensive at Lowe’s or Home Depot. PVC pipe sections, end caps, threaded adapter and threaded plug.
          With the cap solidly bonded on one end and the threaded adapter attached and bonded on the other, stand the pipe vertically and put a pound or two in the bottom of the pipe. Place your guns in the pipe, padded for protection.
          Put a candle just below the top inside the pipe. When the flame goes out the pipe is full of CO2 and all the water vapor, oxygen and such will be displaced.
          Install the plug, with some thread goop.
          Can be buried or if weighed can be sunk.
          A place that the stash will be safe from thieves or the police is more difficult.
          ARs for only $400 sounds good, much less than they were we the retail prices from Colt, the only source in 1966 was $267. But the a dollar was worth 50 cents then. Now a dollar is barely worth 2 cents.

        • If you have a crawl space under your house you can mount a waterproof container between the floor joists. As well, you can bury a 35 or 55 gallon drum with a removable lid and metal band that is lockable, under a storage building or under a car. I have a hidden door in the floor of my storage shed under a refrigerator – move refrigerator, access door, access barrel buried under shed – weapons, food, med supplies, etc. I have another one that is buried under my old farm truck, parked under a shed lean-to. Move truck, access barrel! Although these barrels are water-tight, I put a layer of cat litter or rice in the bottom as a desiccant.

  2. ” fired a round at the robbers, nearly striking one”

    What is WRONG with this person. Fired ONE round? A “near miss” counts for diddly squat. Even the dead dealin highpower AR needs a hit. Blow thru that 30rd (or pansy 10rd ) mag. What are you saving it for? A REAL problem?

  3. “Assault rifles like the AR-15 are weapons of war—designed to inflict horrific injuries and to kill. They have no place in our society.”

    Yet another brain dead Leftard heard from.

    No countries active military that I’m aware of is using the AR 15 as a front line military arm,next brain dead Leftard.

    • And the recent settlement with Defense Distributed where the DoJ said “…the government expressly acknowledges that non-automatic firearms up to .50-caliber – including modern semi-auto sporting rifles such as the popular AR-15 and similar firearms – are not inherently military.”

      That’s gotta give ’em heart burn too.

  4. You keep a gun in a trusted friends safe , and he one in yours . I also have a safe deposit box at the bank, yes limited hours but very secure . Or just hide one well in your house .

    • Perfectly sensible, if available. Is that why our honorable opponents propose laws which could put both you and your trusted friend in prison for years, and stop you both from ever again owning firearms legally? As in, common-sense UBC?

    • “Safe deposit box” – DUMB! Limited access is like NO access! There are plenty of places to hide one around your house or elsewhere.

  5. “Possession of magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of “pistol” ammunition, which includes AR-15 magazines, is a misdemeanor.”

    Unless the AR used is chambered in 9mm/.45 auto etc. how is it .223 Rem/5.56×45 NATO is a “pistol” cartridge?

      • I forgot about the mighty 6.5 Creedmoor, I must confess my sin to god Creedmoor and beg for forgiveness if I wish to live.

    • The same way 7.62×51 NATO is a ‘pistol round’ for which you can get a massive prison sentence if you sell surplus AP ball ammo.

      According to BATFECES (and probably the Attorney General of Hawaii), if there exists one handgun chambered in that caliber…

      • I was visiting Classic Firearms’ website last week, and they have several PTR “pistols” for sale in .308/7.62X51 chambering. Of course, it still had a 16″ or 18″ barrel so concealability would be an issue.

        From what I’ve read, cops getting shot through their body armor with rifle caliber handguns doesn’t seem to be an issue of pressing concern, but I suppose if the ATF has a giant hardon for you, they could make an exception.

    • Remember, they make AR pistols now so I guess it depends on which AR you’re firing. If it has a stock it is a rifle round. If it has only a buffer tube or an arm brace it is a pistol round.

  6. Despite what I’ve said before; I’m thinking of buying an AR for just such scenarios. A quality, well maintained AR should get though a 30 rd mag without a malfunction. And a magazine should handle most anything an intruder, or two could throw at me. And besides, if it’s taken into evidence, or been stolen, it’s only an AR. I wouldn’t be happy about losing it, but really, I wouldn’t loose much sleep.

  7. I was stationed in Hawaii… I could walk into any tactical store around Honolulu or Waikiki and buy 30 round AR15 mags, among other tacticool gear. I had to buy my own Pmags back then because the USMC was too piss poor broke to issue me any. No one checked my ID, they weren’t locked up behind a glass case. etc.

    – an 0311.

    • “I could walk into any tactical store around Honolulu or Waikiki and buy 30 round AR15 mags, among other tacticool gear.”

      They’ve been banned since mid-1992, so that must have been a while ago.

      • Double post…

        Basically just got a taxi ride into town at some X-tactical store, I don’t recall the name… someone mentioned they got mags there so naturally, we are about to go to ITX/CAX. Command keeps saying we will issue mags, we will issue mags… and they never did. ended up having to buy my own.

        Then the idiot of a gunner, banned all Pmags, and non-isused mags, etc, probably because mothers of America or some other group was asking why their misguided children weren’t issued the best of the best and having people buy their own equipment looks bad.

        Turned out my old team leader was actually hoarding mags… he has snatched up like 30+ of them over the years. If someone in Hawaii wants 30 round mags, or even beta drums, just ask a grunt for some or order it online…

    • I’m stationed in Hawaii now, and I can confirm that everybody has 30 Rd mags for their ARs. They’re on the shelf at my LGS, and I’ve never had trouble buying them there. There is at least one gun shop that will only sell them to cops, but if you go to Koko Head Shooting Complex (Oahu’s only outdoor range, and a public one at that), you’ll see that everyone with an AR fearlessly sports 30 Rd mags.

  8. Doesn’t Hawaii have comprehensive firearm registration? If so, hiding a gun or 2 would probably not do much good, and they’d probably tear your house and property to shreds looking for it when you claim you “lost it”.

    It’s not like you can drive out of state to stash it at your brother’s house.

    • From a Hawaii resident and a Hawaii gun owner:

      You are 100% correct. You cannot even walk out of the store with the gun without doing paperwork, that includes your address and your Social Security number, that goes to the state. You then have three days to register that gun with the Honolulu Police Department. They know exactly how many guns you have so hiding one or two of them will not do any good. I’d go so far as to say that if, for whatever reason, the authorities are at your house and they cannot account for all the guns they obviously know that you have, you are going to be in a wagon load of trouble.

      • Not every everyone follows the law… Excuse me… THUH LAWH! In present day that would be better known as the opinions of old people put to paper. Opinions which are then used to subjugate you with neither your input nor consent, by thread of fines, imprisonment, or death. Coercion, intimidation, etc. Sounds like a criminal gang to me.

        Not to mention all gun owner control laws and gun control laws are unconstitutional to begin with. The COTUS makes no mention of duty to register. And ATM, the COTUS is one of the only documents I recall swearing allegiance to.

        If you want an unregistered gun in Hawaii, you can get an unregistered gun in Hawaii. Making them in a machine shop is trivial, the local weed dealer might be able to source one, etc.

        It comes down to risk vs reward. Not what someones opinion says.

  9. I was stationed there [90-93] and lived on Oahu,HI for my current federal prison job. [01-09]
    Magazines if in the state BEFORE a cut off date are grandfathered legal. Can’t remember when the magazine law happened but I believe during my first time in Hawaii.
    EVERYTHING is registered on Oahu. You must also have a copy of your registration with the gun. I didn’t have all my copies when I returned for work but by the MAGIC of GUN REGISTRATION and recordkeeping, they could give me copies for ALL the guns I ever owned in Hawaii ! !
    Lucky for me, I buried my high capacity magazines so even though I didn’t know I’d ever live there again, I had the original LEGAL magazines when I returned in ’01 ! !
    Had a new one to register [being the law biding law enforcement officer I am] when I returned in ’01. Bam, instant registration. I then bought a pistol that was my duty issue type since I became an instructor a few months later. Well, even though I had over 15 pistols/rifles registered already, I needed to attend [free at least] a hunter safety class to buy a new pistol ! !
    All of these FEEL GOOD I DID SOMETHING bullsh*t laws just make things difficult [ if not impossible ] for the law biding.

  10. See section 17 of Hawaii’s state constitution.

    –> Kinda brutal that the voices from the past, codified in writing, testify against your current agenda, even at your state level:

    http://lrbhawaii.org/con/conart1.html

    And it sounds like Hawaii has no duty to report if your handgun is lost or stolen….

    • ” RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS

      Section 17. A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. [Ren Const Con 1978 and election Nov 7, 1978]”

      Seems like they kinda ignored that section

      • When Alaska and Hawaii joined the Union in 1959 they copied the US BoR Second Amendment exactly with one comma.
        The three comma version is incorrect. Worse than that it allows the anti-gunners to pretend that the state militia can be infringed.
        The Second Amendment was written because the militia in COUS art 1, SEc 8 is government controlled. The Second Amendment was demanded by Patrick Henry and others so that the people could assemble a militia, with military weapons if necessary to
        fulfill the imperative in the Declaration of Independence to maintain freedom.
        Obviously a tyrannical government is not going to charter a militia of citizens whose purpose stop a tyrant.
        Of course since HELLER and McDonald Hawaii should interpret their state constitution exactly the same as the federal since it is a copy.
        So Hawaii just pretends it doesn’t exist. That seems to be rather tyrannical.

  11. This article is incorrect in 2 ways. 1. Regular 30 round mags are legal for AR 15s because AR and AK pistols are illegal in Hawaii except for those that have a mag welded in place.
    2. Possession of a handgun mag over 10 rounds is a misdemeanor except when it is loaded into the gun. If caught with a standard pistol mag in the gun it is a FELONY.

  13. The Second Amendment is NOT about hunting or sporting.
    so-called “assault weapons”,semi-auto AR-15’s,AK-47’s,Mini-14’s,etc,are today’s modern MILITIA weapons,and thus should be be the most protected of arms under the Second Amendment.
    Militia men were expected to appear to muster bearing weapons similar to and compatible with what the Regular military had in service at that time.
    In US V Miller,SCOTUS asked if a short-barreled shotgun was in common use in the military,implying that arms protected by the Second would be those used by the military. Today that is M-16’s,M-4’s,AK-47s,etc,but we “compromised” and strictly restricted those automatic weapons (machine guns),leaving US citizens with the semi-auto versions for militia purposes.
    Our Founders intended that our citizens have “weapons of war”,militia arms for militia purposes,that include combat or self-defense.

    Hawaii and other states “assault weapons” bans are NOT Constitutional.

  14. “AR-15 rifles make excellent home defense tools.”

    And then almost immediately goes to try and head off any discussion about rounds passing through walls and endangering innocents. Gee, in my humble opinion, if they were really “excellent” tools for home defense that wouldn’t be such a concern. There are times and places where AR-15s shine and truly are “excellent” for the purpose but only in limited circumstances would I consider employing one in a home defense role in an urban environment or with other family members in different rooms. There are MUCH better tools to reach for in such situations.

  15. Last I heard many in the Military also carry side arms. I doubt whether they are shiny but it is a weapon and it is sometimes used in war.

  16. Never going to live in Demorat places like Hawaii or CA. Glock 19 on the belt always. And I would not “Shoot at them”

    Scouse.

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