Justice Department Urges Supreme Court to Invalidate Hawaii Law Banning Licensed Concealed Carry on Private Property Open to Public
The Trump Justice Department on Monday urged the Supreme Court to strike down Hawaii’s sweeping ban on licensed concealed carry in most private businesses open to the public, calling the Democrat-backed law “blatantly unconstitutional” and warning it is part of a broader effort by blue states to nullify Second Amendment rights after the court’s landmark Bruen ruling.
In a rare friend-of-the-court brief filed in Wolford v. Lopez, Attorney General Pam Bondi argued that Hawaii’s 2023 statute — which makes it a misdemeanor for permit holders to carry firearms in restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations, banks and virtually all private property without explicit owner permission — effectively resurrects the same kind of blanket public-carry prohibition the Supreme Court invalidated in 2022.
“Hawaii’s law plainly violates the Second Amendment,” Bondi wrote on X. “States cannot evade Bruen by banning public carry through indirect means.”
The brief warns that Hawaii is far from alone. California, New York, New Jersey, and Maryland have enacted nearly identical “private property default ban” laws since Bruen, turning everyday errands into potential misdemeanors for the growing number of Americans who now hold concealed-carry permits.
“Democrat-run states realized they could no longer deny permits outright, so they simply made it illegal to carry anywhere permits would actually matter,” said David Katz, a former DEA agent and federally certified firearms instructor. “It’s a deliberate end-run around the Constitution.”
The Hawaii measure, signed by Democratic Gov. Josh Green, requires “clear and conspicuous signage” or express verbal consent from property owners before a licensed individual may carry — a hurdle critics say renders most permits useless in urban and suburban settings where businesses rarely post pro-carry signs.
New York City Councilwoman Irina Vernikov, a Republican who faced criminal charges last year for carrying an inoperable firearm to a pro-Israel rally amid surging antisemitic attacks, praised the DOJ intervention.
“New York turns law-abiding citizens — especially women who need protection most — into felons for daring to exercise their rights, while real criminals walk free,” Vernikov wrote on X. “This case could restore Second Amendment protections for millions living under restrictive regimes in blue states.
A decision is expected by summer 2026.
-Real America's Voice
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