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Hawaii’s “vampire rule” struck
The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Hawaii law that required people to get permission to carry guns into stores and hotels, issuing a 6-3 decision on Thursday.
“Supreme Court rolls back limits on carrying guns on private property open to public Gun control advocates argue such measures are necessary for public safety”
In a separate account of the same ruling, ABC News said the court “struck down a Hawaii law” that prohibited carrying a firearm onto private property open to the public unless the property owner gave express consent.
ABC News reported that Justice Samuel Alito wrote the Hawaii law imposed “severe restrictions on the daily activities” of lawful gun owners in violation of the Second Amendment.
The AP said the high court’s 6-3 decision means people can carry guns onto privately owned property like shopping malls and gas stations unless the owners specifically say guns are banned at their establishments.
The BBC described the case as a challenge to a rule in Hawaii that barred gun owners from carrying handguns on publicly accessible private property, with the justices finding the restriction violates the Second Amendment.
Dissents and gun-safety pushback
In dissent, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, joined by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, argued the ruling “only further binds the hands of modern legislatures attempting to balance and protect their residents' interests.”
ABC News quoted Jackson saying, “Today's decision makes one thing clear: The Court's objective is protecting guns, not consistently preserving any principle of law,” and it also reported that the National Rifle Association praised the majority decision.
ABC News said Brady slammed the court’s decision as “deeply dangerous” and one that “privileges guns over everything and all people in society.”
The AP reported that the Hawaii Department of the Attorney General said it was disappointed but would “continue to pursue common-sense regulation of firearms, consistent with the Second Amendment, for the safety of our people.”
The AP also quoted Everytown Law’s Janet Carter saying, “The Supreme Court may have changed the default rule, but it cannot take away a private property owner’s authority over their own land.”
What changes next
The ruling reverses Hawaii’s requirement that concealed-carry permit holders receive permission before bringing firearms onto private property open to the public, which CBS described as a 6 to 3 decision in Wolford v. Lopez.
“US Supreme Court strikes down Hawaii limits on guns in public The US Supreme Court has struck down a rule in Hawaii that barred gun owners from carrying handguns on publicly accessible private property”
CBS said the Supreme Court’s majority ruled that Hawaii’s restriction “hobbles what the Second Amendment protects: the right of Americans to carry arms for self-defense as they go about their daily lives.”
The AP said the case was filed by the Hawaii Firearms Coalition and three people from Maui, and it noted that a judge originally blocked the measure before an appeals court allowed it to be enforced.
NPR described the decision as barring “vampire rules” by saying states cannot require gun owners to get permission from property owners before bringing guns onto their land, and it listed the five states with such laws as Hawaii, California, Maryland, New York, and New Jersey.
SCOTUSblog said the Supreme Court’s Thursday decision will have an impact not only in Hawaii but also in four other states—California, Maryland, New York, and New Jersey—with similar laws.
