Brady, GIFFORDS Urge SCOTUS to Uphold Hawaiʻi Private Property Law

Law sets a new default for private property, those carrying guns need express permission of property owner to bring guns onto private property open to the public 

WASHINGTON, D.C., December 22, 2025 — Today, in a joint amicus brief in Wolford v. Lopez, Brady and GIFFORDS Law Center urged the Supreme Court of the United States to uphold Hawaiʻi’s law that creates a default rule on whether guns can be brought onto private property. The law states that visitors must have the permission of a property owner before bringing a gun onto their property. 

"Since our founding, private property rights have been foundational to American identity and embedded throughout our system of government and Constitution. Hawai‘i has an eminently reasonable law: visitors must simply receive property owners’ permission to bring firearms onto their private property. We urge the Supreme Court to affirm the Ninth Circuit and uphold Hawai‘i’s common-sense law,” said Douglas Letter, Brady Chief Legal Officer. 

"This question in this case is narrow and calls for a narrow resolution. Hawaiʻi’s private property law isn’t about banning firearms. It’s about empowering private property owners to choose whether to allow firearms on their private property. Hawaiʻi’s law is fair and consistent with the Second Amendment. We are urging the Supreme Court to uphold this law,” said Billy Clark, Senior Litigation Attorney, GIFFORDS Law Center. 

Click here for the full joint brief.