Supreme Court to Hear Wolford v. Lopez

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear Wolford v. Lopez, a challenge to Hawaii’s 2023 law that bars licensed handgun carriers from bringing guns onto private property open to the public unless the property owner gives express authorization. The case tests how the Court’s 2022 Bruen decision applies to modern “sensitive places” restrictions and default no‑carry rules for businesses, beaches, parks, hotels and similar locations. Lower courts are split: a federal judge initially blocked parts of the law, but the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals largely upheld Hawaii’s restrictions after finding historical precedent; the plaintiffs are three licensed carriers and the Hawaii Firearms Coalition, and the Trump administration urged the justices to take the case. Hawaii and gun‑safety groups argue the statute reasonably balances public safety and property owners’ rights, and the high court’s ruling, to be argued in its upcoming term, could significantly reshape where Americans may lawfully carry firearms.