Hawaii undoubtedly has a unique status as a U.S. state surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and the last to join the Union, and its history is rich and fascinating.
Unfortunately, anti-gun state lawmakers attempted to capitalize on that nostalgia to deny fundamental rights to their law-abiding citizens. The case Wolford v. Lopez is before the U.S. Supreme Court as a powerful challenge to the state’s oppressive gun control regime.
In its arguments, Hawaii’s attorneys make the preposterous claim that its traditions should take precedence over the Constitution and federal law.
Lawyers argued that Hawaii’s traditions are more important than the Constitution
“Before Bruen, Hawaii had strict rules limiting public carry that reflected its traditions from before Hawaii became a state,” the brief asserted. “Pre-statehood, Hawaii was a kingdom, and King Kamehameha III promulgated a law prohibiting ‘any person or persons’ from possessing deadly weapons, including any ‘knife, sword-cane or any other dangerous weapon.”
That’s all well and good, but in 2026, Hawaii is not part of a ‘kingdom.’
Hawaii’s citizens deserve the Constitution’s complete protection
Instead, it is one of 50 states subject to the Constitution. Imagine that same argument being made to deny its citizens freedom of speech or religious practice.
That obvious truth is obviously lost on Hawaii’s legal team. In its brief before the court, lawyers argued that the state’s traditions “should reign supreme over the Constitution.”
That is a shocking position to hold, and the Supreme Court would do well to strike down this silliness.
Following the high court’s 2022 Bruen decision, Hawaii lawmakers threw a legislative temper tantrum and passed a string of oppressive measures aimed at stifling gun rights.
The state prohibits the concealed carry of firearms on private property open to the public unless the owner expressly consents. This includes such fixtures as restaurants and grocery stores, places where it is logical to want to exercise one’s self-defense rights.
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