Rep. Tokuda Statement on Supreme Court Decision Overturning Hawaiʻi Gun Safety Law

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Rep. Jill N. Tokuda (HI-02) released the following statement after the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to strike down Hawaiʻi's law establishing a safety-first default that concealed-carry permit holders must receive permission before bringing firearms onto private property open to the public:

"Today's Supreme Court decision is wrong for Hawaiʻi, wrong for public safety, and the wrong precedent for states and communities working to keep people safe.

Hawaiʻi's law did not take away anyone's right to own or carry a firearm. It simply said that before bringing a gun onto someone else's private property, you should get permission first.

That should not be controversial. It is a matter of basic respect.

Businesses and property owners set basic rules every day about what is allowed on their property and what is not. No shirt, no shoes, no service. But when Hawaiʻi set a commonsense safety standard for firearms, this Court decided that even asking permission went too far.

This ruling puts guns ahead of Hawaiʻi's ability to determine what safety looks like in our own communities and businesses. It shifts the burden onto property owners, workers, and families who deserve to feel safe in the places where they live, work, shop, and gather. I will keep fighting for commonsense gun safety laws that protect our people, respect everyone's rights, and prioritizes our communities' ability to determine what safety looks like for ourselves."

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