California Gun Law Case Reopened After Supreme Court Ruling

This flipped the longstanding common-law default, under which the public could enter unless explicitly barred.

“The regime hobbles what the Second Amendment protects: the right of Americans to carry arms for self-defense as they go about their daily lives,” Alito wrote.

He emphasized that the law imposed “severe restrictions on the daily activities of residents who have satisfied the State’s rigorous requirements for the issuance of a carry permit.”

Permit holders faced a maze of potential barriers, forcing them to seek permission before entering routine establishments or risk criminal penalties.

The decision reverses the Ninth Circuit and aligns with the Court’s post-Bruen framework from New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen (2022).

Alito meticulously applied the history-and-tradition test, finding Hawaii’s law presumptively unconstitutional because it burdens conduct protected by the plain text of the Second Amendment — carrying arms for self-defense.

The Trump administration played a key role in bolstering the challengers.

The Solicitor General filed an amicus brief and participated in oral arguments, urging the Court to protect Second Amendment rights against state overreach.