US EditionWhat’s at Stake in the Supreme Court Battle Over Hawaii’s Gun Law
The case challenges Hawaii's 2023 law requiring property owner consent for carrying guns in public private spaces, affecting 96.4% of accessible land, with a decision expected by June.
- On Tuesday the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments at 10 a.m. on Hawaii's rule barring guns on private property open to the public, challenged by three Maui residents and the Hawaii Firearms Coalition.
- Following the Court's Bruen framework, Hawaii enacted Act 52, signed by Gov. Josh Green, narrowing carry locations while expanding permit eligibility after county police chiefs rarely issued permits.
- A lower court initially blocked the rule; the U.S. district court in Honolulu was reversed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, with violations a misdemeanor.
- Everytown for Gun Safety warned that a plaintiffs' win would impose a national mandate allowing guns in private businesses by default, but businesses could still bar guns, attorneys said, with a decision expected by late June.
- Hawaii argues its gun restrictions align with laws from the Hawaiian Kingdom and 1771 New Jersey and 1865 Louisiana statutes, Alan Beck said, `Especially on the outer islands, Hawaii has a vibrant hunting culture that respects firearms just as much as any state on the mainland`.
125 Articles
125 Articles
Wolford Teases Out The Relationship Between The First and Second Amendments
Since Heller was decided nearly two decades ago, there have been attempts to draw analogies between the First and Second Amendment. Of course, this transplantation was always problematic. First Amendment doctrine is, for the most part, not originalist. The cases are laden with balancing tests that have little concern for original meaning. The entire notion of tiers of scrutiny is judge-made law. Why corrupt this new originalist frontier by trans…
SCOTUS Weighs Hawaii “Vampire Rule” As Gun Owners Challenge Default Ban On Carry In Most Private Businesses ~ VIDEO
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court heard nearly two hours of argument Tuesday, January 20, 2026, in Wolford v. Lopez, a Second Amendment case that could decide whether states can make “no guns” the default rule for private property that’s open to the public—unless the owner gives express permission. At the center is a Hawaii law passed after New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen (2022). Hawaii’s rule generally bars licensed concealed ca…
U.S. Supreme Court conservatives appear skeptical of Hawaii handgun limits
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Conservative U.S. Supreme Court justices signaled skepticism Tuesday toward a Hawaii law that restricts the carrying of handguns on private property open to the public without the owner’s permission, appearing ready to expand gun rights again. The court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, heard arguments in an appeal by challengers to the law of a judicial ruling that Hawaii’s measure likely complies with the U.S. Constitu…
Supreme Court Justices Express Skepticism at Hawaii’s Gun-Carry Restrictions in Oral Arguments
The nation’s top court appeared doubtful that the Aloha State’s expansive gun-carry ban is compatible with the Second Amendment. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) held oral arguments in Wolford v. Lopez. That’s the case that challenges Hawaii’s law that reverses the typical presumption and requires those with concealed carry permits to obtain permission from owners… Source
Supreme Court appears sympathetic to gun owners’ challenge to Hawaii law
The Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared to side with a group of Maui gun owners in their challenge to a Hawaii law restricting their ability to bring their guns onto private property that is open to the public. After approximately two hours of oral argument in Wolford v. Lopez, virtually all of the court’s six Republican appointees seemed to agree with the challengers that the law, which requires the gun owners to obtain express permission from th…
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