SCOTUS Kills Hawaii's Carry 'Vampire Rule' in 6–3 Wolford Win

Hawaii passed the rule in 2023 after Bruen opened public carry. Instead of banning guns on the street — which the Court had already foreclosed — the state flipped the default on commercial private property: lawful carriers needed affirmative permission before entering places open to the public. Gun-rights advocates called it a vampire rule because, like Dracula, your carry permit only worked where you were explicitly invited.

Three Maui residents with concealed-carry licenses — Jason Wolford, Alison Wolford, and Atom Kasprzycki — joined the Hawaii Firearms Coalition to challenge the law. The Trump administration backed them at oral argument in January, telling the Court that Hawaii was trying to gut Bruen by reclassifying everyday errands as off-limits carry zones.

The 9th Circuit had upheld Hawaii, pointing to historical permission requirements from New Jersey in 1771 and Louisiana in 1865. Challengers said those analogues targeted poaching and post-Civil War disarmament — not modern permit holders shopping for groceries.

Thursday's decision is a direct carry win, but it is not a free-for-all. Property owners can still post against firearms; the Court rejected Hawaii's presumption that every open business is automatically a no-carry zone. California, Maryland, New York, and New Jersey adopted similar default-ban models — expect immediate litigation fallout and revised signage fights in those states.

For permit holders: know your state implementation timeline, read posted policy at entry, and assume anti-gun municipalities will hunt the next Bruen workaround. Wolford removes one of the biggest.