The Supreme Court appeared ready during oral arguments Tuesday to rule against a Hawaii law that bars gun possession on private property without the property owner’s consent, as most justices expressed concern the law violated the Second Amendment.
The state passed the law in the wake of a 2022 decision by the Supreme Court in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen, which expanded the right to possess guns outside the home. Gun owners in Hawaii challenged the state law, with backing from the Trump administration.
Most members of the court’s conservative majority expressed skepticism about the law. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said Hawaii’s law treated the Second Amendment as a “disfavored right” and compared it to a state law that prohibited solicitation on private property.
