Supreme Court Invalidates Hawaii Concealed Carry Ban

The Supreme Court struck down a Hawaii law on Thursday that prohibited licensed gun owners from carrying concealed firearms on private property open to the public without the property owner's express permission. The 6-3 ruling, which fell along ideological lines, found the state's "default ban" placed an unconstitutional burden on the right to bear arms for self-defense.

Justice Samuel Alito authored the majority opinion in Wolford v. Lopez, stating the law "severely burdens the ability to carry a firearm" in much of the state. He wrote that the measure departed sharply from the common-law rule, which allows entry to public-facing private property unless expressly prohibited. The regime, Alito concluded, "hobbles what the Second Amendment protects-the right of Americans to carry arms for self-defense as they go about their daily lives."

The decision immediately blocks enforcement of Hawaii's law and casts doubt on similar statutes in New York, California, New Jersey, and Maryland. These states had enacted so-called "vampire laws" after the Court's 2022 decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, which established a "text and history" test for gun regulations....