Supreme Court Strikes Down Five-State Gun Carry Permission Laws On Private Property Open To Public
The Supreme Court on Thursday, June 25, 2026 ruled 6-3 in Wolford v. Lopez that states cannot require licensed carriers to get property owners' permission before bringing guns onto private property open to the public.[1]
The decision overturned Hawaii's Act 52, which required licensed carriers to obtain advance permission to carry on most private property open to the public.[2] NPR said five states — Hawaii, California, Maryland, New York and New Jersey — have such so-called "vampire laws" that require advance consent.[3] Justice Samuel Alito wrote the majority opinion, saying advance-permission rules "hobble what the Second Amendment protects" and finding the law violated the Second and Fourteenth Amendments.[3]
In June 2022 the Supreme Court's Bruen decision barred states from requiring a special need for concealed-carry permits and led many states to expand access to licenses.[3] Hawaii enacted Act 52 in June 2023 to restrict where licensed carriers could go on private premises, and lower courts split on its legality before the Supreme Court took the case.[2]
Reporters placed the ruling in the post-Bruen landscape, where lower courts have struggled with Bruen's historical-analogy test and nearly 100 gun laws were struck down in the year after Bruen.[3]
Justice Elena Kagan wrote a solo dissent, while Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson — joined by Justice Sonia Sotomayor — authored a longer dissent saying the law fairly applied a core property right to exclude and did no harm to the Second Amendment.[4]
The mainstream summary does not mention the significant increase in licensed carriers in Hawaii, which rose by 70.5% from 2024 to 2025, resulting in a total of 3,764 residents holding valid concealed carry licenses. This statistic highlights a growing trend in gun ownership in the state, which may have influenced the legal landscape surrounding the Second Amendment and the court's ruling. The summary also overlooks the broader implications of the ruling within the context of a judicial shift towards expanding Second Amendment rights, as noted in a Congressional Research Service report that traces this evolution back to key Supreme Court decisions starting with District of Columbia v. Heller in 2008 and culminating in the recent Wolford v. Lopez decision. This historical perspective underscores how the Court's interpretation has transitioned from collective to individual rights, a nuance that adds depth to understanding the ruling's significance beyond just the specifics of the case at hand.[5][6]
Show source details & analysis (5 sources)
📊 Relevant Data
As of December 31, 2025, 3,764 Hawaii residents held valid licenses to carry a concealed handgun, representing 0.34% of the state's resident population age 21 or older and marking a 70.5% increase from 2,207 licensees at the end of 2024.
2026-27 DEPARTMENT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL RELEASES ANNUAL LICENSE TO CARRY FIREARMS STATISTICS — Hawaiʻi Department of the Attorney General
📌 Key Facts
- In Wolford v. Lopez the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on Thursday, June 25, 2026 that states cannot require concealed‑carry permit holders to obtain property owners' permission before bringing firearms onto private property open to the public (Wolford v. Lopez).
- The decision invalidated Hawaii’s Act 52 and was framed as barring so‑called “vampire laws” in five states — Hawaii, California, Maryland, New York and New Jersey — that require advance permission from property owners before carriers may enter (vampire laws).
- Justice Samuel Alito’s majority opinion said advance‑permission requirements “hobble what the Second Amendment protects” and held Hawaii’s regime violated both the Second and Fourteenth Amendments (Justice Samuel Alito).
- Justice Elena Kagan wrote a separate solo dissent, and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson — joined by Justice Sonia Sotomayor — authored a longer dissent arguing the statute applies the property right to exclude and does no harm to the Second Amendment (Justice Elena Kagan).
- Reporters placed the ruling in the post‑2022 Bruen landscape: NPR noted that nearly 100 gun laws were struck down in the year after Bruen and that lower courts continue to struggle with Bruen’s historical‑analogy test (Bruen).
- The New York Times documented on‑the‑ground effects of the law’s application in Hawaii, including businesses posting default “no guns” policies and the resulting limits on permit holders’ ability to carry in common commercial settings (The New York Times).
- The decision comes after another Second Amendment ruling this term, United States v. Hemani, in which the Court unanimously sided with a Texas man prosecuted under the federal gun ban for drug users, underscoring a broader pattern of recent high‑court Second Amendment rulings (United States v. Hemani).
📰 Source Timeline (5)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- On Thursday, June 25, 2026, the Court ruled 6-3 that Hawaii cannot require concealed-carry permit holders to obtain property owners' permission before bringing guns onto private property open to the public.
- Justice Samuel Alito's majority opinion explicitly held that Hawaii's regime "hobbles what the Second Amendment protects" and violates both the Second and Fourteenth Amendments.
- Justice Elena Kagan wrote a separate solo dissent arguing the law is a modern analogue of colonial and founding-era laws restricting firearms on private property without affirmative consent.
- Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, joined by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, authored a longer dissent stating that the statute "fairly applies a first principle of property law — the right to exclude — and does no harm to the Second Amendment."
- The article emphasizes that challengers framed the law as inconsistent with the 2022 Bruen historical-tradition test, while Hawaii argued it reflected a longstanding property right to exclude firearms even on premises open to the public.
- The piece notes this Wolford v. Lopez ruling comes after another Second Amendment decision this term, United States v. Hemani, in which the Court unanimously sided with a Texas man prosecuted under the federal gun ban for drug users.
- Article confirms the Supreme Court's June 25, 2026 decision invalidating Hawaii’s Act 52 requirement that licensed gun carriers obtain advance permission before carrying on most private property open to the public.
- It supplies additional on-the-ground detail about how Hawaii officials had applied the law in practice, including examples of businesses posting default "no guns" policies and the impact on permit holders’ ability to carry in common commercial settings.
- It includes reaction quotes from Hawaii officials and gun-control advocates describing the ruling as a significant rollback of post-Bruen gun restrictions and outlining potential legislative responses.
- Fox News article confirms that in Wolford v. Lopez, decided Thursday, June 25, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 against Hawaii's attorney general and in favor of the plaintiffs.
- The piece reiterates that the specific Hawaii provision at issue required explicit permission from property owners before licensed carriers could bring firearms into public businesses.
- It identifies the lineup of dissenting justices in this case as Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson, consistent with earlier reporting.
- On Thursday, June 25, 2026, the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision was framed as barring state laws that require gun owners to obtain advance permission from property owners before carrying firearms on their land.
- NPR reports that five states – Hawaii, California, Maryland, New York, and New Jersey – have such so-called “vampire laws” that require prior consent.
- Justice Samuel Alito’s majority opinion characterizes advance-permission requirements as an undue burden that ‘hobbles what the Second Amendment protects: the right of Americans to carry arms for self-defense as they go about their daily lives.’
- The article notes that in most other states, gun owners may carry onto private property unless and until the owner affirmatively objects, contrasting that baseline with the five vampire-law states.
- NPR situates the ruling in the broader post-2022 Bruen landscape, citing an analysis that nearly 100 gun laws were struck down in the year after Bruen and describing lower courts’ confusion over its historical-analogy test.