politics
Supreme Court Strikes Down Hawaii Law on Gun Carrying at Private Businesses
The Supreme Court on Thursday invalidated Hawaii's requirement that permitted gun owners obtain explicit property-owner consent before carrying firearms at businesses open to the public. The 6-3 ruling held that the law placed an unconstitutional burden on the right to bear arms for self-defense.
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The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down Hawaii's law that required permitted gun owners to obtain explicit permission from property owners before carrying firearms on private property open to the public. The statute applied even to locations such as gas stations, restaurants, and hardware stores.
The court said the measure imposed too great a burden on individuals exercising their right to carry arms for self-defense.
Jr. wrote for the 6-3 majority that the law "hobbles what the Second Amendment protects: the right of Americans to carry arms for self-defense as they go about their daily lives." He concluded the statute was unconstitutional. The opinion directed states and lower courts to cease creating exceptions that limit the amendment's scope.
Jackson dissented, joined by Justice Sonia Sotomayor. She framed the case primarily as a property-rights matter and said owners should retain the ability to exclude firearms. Heller, which recognized an individual right to self-defense, and the 2022 decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v.
Bruen, which required gun laws to align with historical tradition. Hawaii had argued its law differed from those struck down in earlier cases, but the court rejected that distinction.
