播播影院

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) 鈥� 播播影院 General Alan Wilson today joined 26 states and the Arizona Legislature in filing a friend-of-the-court brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to hear鈥疻olford v. Lopez, a major Second Amendment case out of Hawaii. The brief, led by Montana and Idaho, asks the Court to overturn a Ninth Circuit ruling that severely limits law-abiding citizens鈥� right to carry firearms in public spaces.听

鈥淭his case is about ensuring the Second Amendment is not treated as a second-class right,鈥� said Attorney General Wilson. 鈥淚f left in place, Hawaii鈥檚 law sets a dangerous precedent by flipping the burden, presuming carrying a firearm in public is unlawful unless expressly allowed. That directly contradicts our Constitution and threatens to eliminate the public鈥檚 right to self-defense in everyday places.鈥�听

At issue is Hawaii鈥檚 Act 52, which broadly prohibits public carry of firearms in so-called 鈥渟ensitive places,鈥� including parks, beaches, and restaurants serving alcohol. It also bans carrying on private property that is open to the public unless the property owner gives explicit permission.听

The amicus brief argues that:听

• The Ninth Circuit鈥檚 decision creates a direct split with the Second Circuit, which struck down a nearly identical New York law as unconstitutional.
• Hawaii鈥檚 law is not supported by a historical tradition of firearms regulation as required under鈥痀. State Rifle & Pistol Ass鈥檔 v. Bruen鈥�(2022).
• The state鈥檚 sweeping restrictions go far beyond what the Founders would have recognized and attempt to sidestep the constitutional right to carry by redefining vast public areas as 鈥渟ensitive places.鈥�

鈥淭he Constitution guarantees that law-abiding Americans have the right to protect themselves,鈥� Attorney General Wilson continued. 鈥淲e cannot allow activist courts or overreaching legislatures to strip away those rights through creative legal maneuvers. This case is an opportunity for the Supreme Court to set the record straight.鈥�听

The coalition urges the Court to grant certiorari and reverse the Ninth Circuit, reinforcing the principle that the Second Amendment protects the right to carry a firearm in public for lawful self-defense.听

A copy of the amicus brief is available here.