The United States is a country with a unique relationship to firearms. The Second Amendment has shaped American culture, politics, and law for more than two centuries. Yet while the Constitution sets the framework, each state enacts its own set of restrictions. Hawaii stands out for having some of the most stringent gun laws in the nation, making it ripe for the current court challenge to set an example. Hawaiian gun laws reveal the tension between individual rights and presumed public safety, as well as the ways in which local context (Hawaii is one of the bluest of blue states, in which the local Democratic primary usually chooses a given election’s winner) influences broader constitutional debates. …
Change in restrictive states seems likely. In addition to the New York Bruen case, which softened Hawaii’s carry laws, and the current Supreme Court challenge on private property carry, the Hawaii law prohibiting gun ownership between the ages of 18 and 20 is the subject of a 2024 lawsuit now moving forward. Plaintiffs filed in a U.S. Circuit Court a motion for summary judgment in the case, urging the court to find that Hawaii’s age limit on gun ownership violates the Second Amendment. Hawaii is the only state to have a complete ban on gun ownership for those 18–20.
The Supreme Court’s evolving interpretation of the Second Amendment means states’ restrictions face new legal scrutiny. The Court’s decision in the upcoming Wolford may clarify whether states can flip the presumption of carry rights on private property, setting a national precedent with implications far beyond Hawaii. The ruling will not only determine Hawaii’s future but may serve as a test case to redefine the limits of state authority over firearms nationwide, signaling how far local governments can go in restricting a constitutional right.
— Peter Van Buren in The Supreme Court Challenge to Hawaii’s Gun Laws
I came here looking for a “vampire rule,” but all I got was a boring article.