SCOTUS Strikes Down Hawaii's Concealed Carry Law
Is this a victory for gun rights or a partisan blow to public safety?
Above: A man wearing his pistol in Alexandria, Virginia on Oct. 9, 2022. Image credit: Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post/Getty Images
The Spin
Democratic narrative
The Supreme Court's ruling in Wolford v. Lopez is a deeply flawed decision that ignores four founding-era laws nearly identical to Hawaii's statute. Justice Alito brushed aside clear historical precedent to deliver a partisan outcome, proving that Bruen is applied selectively rather than consistently. Business owners and workers now bear the burden of opting out of gun carry.
Republican narrative
Hawaii's law was a blatant attempt to gut the Second Amendment after Bruen already settled public carry rights, forcing law-abiding permit holders to get explicit permission just to enter a gas station or restaurant. Concealed carry permit holders are statistically far more law-abiding than the general population, so treating them as threats has zero empirical basis.
