Supreme Court to hear challenge to Hawaii gun carry restrictions

The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to review Hawaii's restrictions on where people may carry firearms, taking up a case that could reshape how far states can limit public carry rights. The court's decision to grant review follows a challenge by three Hawaii residents and a gun rights group and comes after lower courts split over whether Hawaii's rules comply with a 2022 Supreme Court decision that recognized a right to carry firearms in public under the Second Amendment.

Hawaii's law bars firearms on private property unless the property owner has specifically permitted them and bans guns in locations such as beaches, parks, bars and restaurants that serve alcohol. State attorneys say the state has relaxed its concealed-carry permitting standards to conform with the 2022 decision while keeping place-based restrictions they describe as a reasonable balance between firearms rights and public safety. The Trump administration urged the high court to take the case, arguing the Hawaii restrictions conflict with the 2022 ruling.

The dispute has moved through the federal courts. A district judge initially blocked enforcement of the Hawaii statute after the challenge was filed, but the...