US Supreme Court allows guns in Hawaii private venues open to public

Washington,UPDATED: Jun 25, 2026 21:40 IST

The US Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a Hawaii law that required people to get permission before carrying guns into privately owned places such as shops and hotels, in its latest ruling backing Second Amendment rights. In a 6-3 decision, the court said people can carry guns on to private property open to the public, including shopping malls and petrol stations, unless owners specifically ban firearms at their establishments.

The ruling is a win for President Donald Trump's Republican administration, which had argued that the Hawaii law violated the Second Amendment. It also comes soon after the court held that marijuana users cannot be completely barred from owning firearms, adding to a series of gun-related decisions since its 2022 ruling that said most people have a right to carry guns in public.

Hawaii had defended the 2023 law by saying it ensured that private owners could decide whether they wanted firearms on their property. The measure was sometimes called a "vampire rule" because it required people carrying guns to get permission before entering, similar to the folklore that vampires need an invitation to enter a home.

The state passed the law after thousands more people received legal permission to carry guns following the Supreme Court's 2022 decision. About four other states have passed similar laws, though comparable default restrictions on guns at private property open to the public have also been blocked elsewhere.

Hawaii also has separate restrictions on guns in places such as parks, beaches and restaurants that serve alcohol, though those rules were not before the Supreme Court. They are, however, being challenged in lower courts. The case before the court was brought by a gun rights group and three people from Maui. A judge had initially blocked the law, but an appeals court later allowed it to take effect, with Trump's administration backing the appeal to the Supreme Court.

Gun-control group Everytown Law called the decision "disappointing", but said business owners still have the right to ban firearms by posting signs. "The Supreme Court may have changed the default rule, but it cannot take away a private property owner's authority over their own land," said Janet Carter, managing director of Second Amendment Litigation. The decision is the latest in a run of cases since 2022, with the court having struck down a ban on bump stocks while upholding a federal gun law aimed at protecting domestic violence victims and strict rules on nearly untraceable ghost guns.

With PTI Inputs

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