The Supreme Court struck down a Hawaii law requiring people to get permission to carry guns into stores and hotels on Thursday, in its latest opinion backing Second Amendment rights.
Decision Impact
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. This ruling comes shortly after the court found that marijuana users can’t be completely banned from owning firearms.
The decision is a win for President Donald Trump’s Republican administration, which argued the law violates the Second Amendment. Hawaii argued that the 2023 measure ensured private owners could decide whether they wanted firearms on their property.
About four other states have enacted similar laws, though presumptive restrictions for guns on private property open to the public have also been blocked elsewhere. Hawaii also restricts guns in places like parks, beaches, and restaurants that serve alcohol, but those rules weren’t before the court.
The suit before the Supreme Court was filed by a gun rights group and three people from Maui. A judge originally blocked the measure, but an appeals court allowed it to be enforced. Trump’s Republican administration backed the Supreme Court appeal.
The gun-control group Everytown Law called the decision “disappointing,” but pointed out that business owners can still post signs forbidding firearms on their properties. “The Supreme Court may have changed the default rule, but it cannot take away a private property owner’s authority over their own land,” said Janet Carter, managing director of Second Amendment Litigation.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.