Wolford v. Lopez

What the court held

Hawaii bars concealed-carry permit holders from bringing firearms onto private property open to the public unless the owner gives express consent, reversing the common-law default that visitors have an implied license to enter. The Supreme Court held the law violates the Second and Fourteenth Amendments, finding the restriction falls within the Amendment's plain text and that Hawaii's proffered analogues - mostly colonial anti-poaching statutes, an 1893 Oregon armed-trespass law, and an 1865 Louisiana Black Code provision - are too far removed in purpose and effect to establish a historical tradition supporting the rule. Justice Jackson dissented, arguing the majority departed from its own historical test and that the law is a traditional exercise of property regulation.

Summarized from the court's opinion.

What this case is about

Hawaii’s default ban on carrying firearms onto private property open to the public

GunMapUSA summary of the issue, not a quotation from the court.

Key Dates

• 2026-06-25 — Decided
• 2026-01-20 — Argued

Sources

• CourtListener — retrieved 2026-08-08