Military Move - PCS w/ Guns and Alcohol to Hawaii?

Question

Hi, I am PCSing to Hawaii with my husband in November. We are trying to find out of they will ship Guns and alcohol over there or if we will need to find alternate storage for them while we are away for the next 3 years. Any PCS-to-Hawaii or living tips would be helpful. Also planning to buy a house, so neighborhood info for Oahu would be great. We will be on Camp Smith.

Answer 1

Pack your alcohol yourself in other containers that the movers can then pack.  If they don't see it, it doesn't really exist.

I strongly suggest you get housing if you can.  Hawaii is brutal on the wallet.

Answer 2

Alcohol, try not to pack them.. but if you really want them with you, pack them yourself in a plastic container w/plenty of stuffing and label them something inconscpicuous like "stemware".  Guns.. don't take 'em.  

We're PCSing to Camp Smith as well in September.  We were thinking about buying initially.  We've contacted an agent and have been doing alot of research.  But it looks like we'll be renting after all.  

Although it looks like it's not right for us, it may work perfectly for you guys..  There are alot of opportunities right now.... It's a buyers market now.. good luck!

Answer 3

no alcohol.  Guns, but no ammo, and they must be in a safe. also they will probably have to be stored at the armory.  

unless you are independently wealthy, you won't be able to afford a condo, let alone a house.  CONDOS start at $300K.  Friends of ours who retired there( Warrant 4).. got a teeny( and I mean TEENY) 2 BR house for just under $500K.  

Erik is right about who the movers are being the deciding factor on the alcohol.   the ONLY set of movers I have had  who packed it were from Monterey( to Ft Meade.)    to and from Japan..no booze( and I cried having to leave all that lovely sake behind...)

Answer 4

I just finshed a  CONUS PCS.  JPPSO is the regional organization that will handle your PCS now so some of the rules will still apply as long as you are not going to a foreign country.  They will allow you to ship firearms but no ammunition.  However, you will be subject to all local gun laws once you are there.  You might want to check the local gun laws to see if it is worth the headache of bringing them.  

As far as alcohol goes......technically.....it is illegal to transport any alcohol over any state lines....technically.   However, people do it almost all of the time.  Especially when you live close to a state border.  When the packers came the paced up our alcohol with the rest of the kitchen stuff and put it in a box.  It was with us when we got to our new duty station.  It really is going to come down to the company that JPPSO contracts with to do your move.  If the packers don't care then you alcohol is going with you.

Answer 5

For alcohol it will honestly depend on the moving company.  Some will allow it and others will not.   You may want to consider packing some of it in your suitcases if the movers won't pack it as you are allowed to do that.  You can also look into a shipping company like FedEx, UPS, etc... that might have an option for you.  If you put it into storage it will be at your cost, the military does not do storage for orders to Hawaii.  

Not sure about guns, usually you can but you also have to check on Hawaii state rules.

Talk to TMO/JPPSO for the up to date information.

For neighborhoods in the Camp Smith area try Aiea, Pearl City, Salt Lake, as the closest ones, then also consider Wapio & Mililani too.  Another option is going to the Windward Side for Kailua, Kaneohe areas.   You might want to rent or live in housing for awhile before buying a place because they can be expensive and you need to find the right place.  you also have to consider mileage and gas on your vehicle.  because while it might save you $200 in your mortgage to live out in Kapolei, you might spend that much or more in gas and mileage on your car.