Supreme Court strikes down Hawaii law requiring permission to carry guns on private property

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The Supreme Court has struck down a Hawaii law requiring people to get permission to carry guns into stores and hotels on Thursday.

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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.

It’s a win for President Donald Trump’s Republican administration, which argued the law violates the Second Amendment. The measure was sometimes referred to as a “vampire rule” because it required people with guns to get permission to enter, as vampire lore says, bloodsuckers need an invitation to enter a home.

Hawaii argued that the 2023 measure ensured private owners could decide whether they wanted firearms on their property. The state passed the law as thousands more people got legal permission to carry guns in the wake of a 2022 Supreme Court ruling that found the Second Amendment gives most people the right to have guns in public.

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Hawaii also restricts guns in places like parks, beaches, and restaurants that serve alcohol, but those rules weren’t challenged before the court. They are being challenged in lower courts, however.

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.

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