Supreme Court will consider overturning Hawaii's strict ban on guns on private property

Key Points

• The Supreme Court will examine the potential abolition of Hawaii's strict gun restrictions, particularly those that regulate the carrying of firearms on private property.
• The case arises from a request by the Trump administration, which argues the law contradicts a previous 2022 ruling that expanded gun rights under the Second Amendment.
• Hawaii's existing law bans firearms in sensitive locations like beaches and bars unless expressly permitted by the property owner.
• A 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision allowed Hawaii to enforce its gun law, contrasting with rulings in other states like New York that have seen varied outcomes regarding similar restrictions.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court said on Friday that it will take up its latest gun rights case and consider striking down a strict regulation on where people can carry firearms in Hawaii.

President Donald Trump's Republican administration had urged the justices to take the case, arguing the law violates the court’s landmark 2022 ruling that found the Second Amendment generally gives people the right to carry firearms.

The court will consider Hawaii's law that bans guns on private property, including businesses like stores and hotels, unless the owner has specifically allowed them verbally or with a sign.

“Because most property owners do not post signs either allowing or forbidding guns, Hawaii’s default rule functions as a near-complete ban on public carry,” Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote in court documents.

The case isn't aimed at Hawaii's restrictions on guns in other places, like beaches, parks and restaurants that serve alcohol. If the challengers win, businesses would still be able to take steps to restrict guns on their property, said attorney Alan Alexander Beck, who represents the plaintiffs. “Historically, businesses have a right to put up a sign that says guns are not allowed and we want to go back to that historical standard,” he said.

Hawaii argues that it has already loosened its concealed-carry permit regulations to align with the high court’s 2022 ruling. They say its new law strikes a reasonable balance between gun rights and public safety.

A judge blocked the law after it was challenged in court by a gun rights group and three people from Maui. But the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals largely reversed that decision and allowed Hawaii to enforce the law.

The gun-safety group Everytown urged the Supreme Court to uphold the measure. “The Ninth Circuit was absolutely right to say it’s constitutional to prohibit guns on private property unless the owner says they want guns there,” said Janet Carter, managing director of Second Amendment litigation.

Four other states have laws banning guns in areas often referred to as sensitive locations, though similar presumptive restrictions for guns on private property have been blocked elsewhere, including in New York.

The Supreme Court had previously declined a push from gun-rights groups to fully strike down the New York law.

The conservative-majority court's 2022 ruling expanding gun rights also found modern gun regulations must fit within historical traditions, a major shift in the country's gun law landscape.

Since then, the justices have struck down a ban on bump stocks from Trump’s first term but upheld another on ghost guns imposed under then-President Joe Biden. The court has also upheld a law intended to protect domestic violence victims.

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