Hawaii Uses State’s Royal History to Justify Ban on Carrying Guns in Most of the State

The state argues that being gun-free should be the default for Hawaiʻi establishments. If a business owner wants to allow guns on their property, they can put up a sign giving their permission.

“Hawai‘i’s unique history—including its long pre-statehood existence as an independent kingdom—means that its residents never developed a practice of bringing guns into shops, convenience stores, and the like,” state Attorney General Anne Lopez wrote in a brief filed with the Supreme Court in December.

Alan Beck, a San Diego-based attorney who is representing the plaintiffs, says bringing the history of the Hawaiian Kingdom into the argument is invalid.

“What they’re really arguing is that the rights of my clients, who are U.S. citizens, should be dictated by the laws of a monarchy,” he said. “That’s not a position that’s really tenable.”

But Chris Marvin, a Hawaiʻi-based gun violence prevention expert, said Hawaiʻi’s history laid the foundation for its current attitude toward guns. Less than 1% of the state population has a license to carry and shootings are still relatively rare.

Marvin said looser gun laws lead to more violence, and he fears overturning Hawaiʻi’s private property law could have negative impacts on the state.

— Madeleine Valera in Hawaiʻi AG To Supreme Court: Gun Control Is Hawaiian Tradition