The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday in Wolford v. Lopez returned sanity to Hawaii’s gun control apparatus by emphatically burying the so-called “vampire rule.”
The 6-3 majority struck down the state’s requirement that, by default, lawful gun owners are banned from carrying their weapons on private property. The state law was a complete reversal of how constitutional rights are protected, and it deserved its timely death.
The immediate aftermath of this important Second Amendment victory was met with wails of horror from predictable quarters.
Constitutional rights are not determined by what is popular now
Kris Brown, president of Brady, claimed that somehow the “will of the people” of Hawaii was rejected. As if constitutional rights are merely popularity contests subject to local whims.
“This commonsense law is what the people of Hawaii wanted, but the court has complete disregard for that community will,” Brown complained. “Ultimately, the court makes it clear that it cares little about the threat of gun violence posed to the American people.”
Private property owners retain the right to allow or deny firearms on their premises
Brady and similar anti-gun groups know that private property owners in Hawaii and elsewhere are perfectly free to ban lawful carry.
Giffords released a statement that tried to frame the argument as one of private property rights.
“We are disappointed with the Supreme Court’s decision,” the group wrote. “Hawaii’s private property law wasn’t about banning firearms. Instead, it reflected the commonsense notion that property owners have a right to choose whether to allow firearms on their private property.”
Yes, Giffords, they still do.
As for “commonsense” laws, they do not include requirements that subject the Bill of Rights to public opinion polls and social media posts.
The purpose of spelling out these freedoms in the Founding Era was to assure the people that the winds of change could not easily infringe upon their fundamental rights. Instead, our personal freedoms, including the right to keep and bear arms, are protected against both overbearing lawmakers and public opinion.
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