• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Digital News Updates
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business

Montana Attorney General Leads 26-State Coalition Challenging Hawaii Gun Ban at Supreme Court

May 10, 2025

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is leading a 26-state coalition urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a Hawaii law that imposes broad restrictions on where law-abiding citizens can carry firearms. The coalition filed an amicus brief in the case Wolford v. Lopez, arguing that Hawaii’s so-called “sensitive places” firearm restrictions violate the Second Amendment.

The challenged law, known as Act 52, bans carrying firearms in a wide range of public and private spaces, including bars and restaurants serving alcohol, parks, beaches, banks, and financial institutions. The coalition’s brief supports three Hawaii residents and the Hawaii Firearms Coalition, who are seeking to overturn the law after a lower court injunction was reversed by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Attorney General Knudsen said the Ninth Circuit’s decision undermines recent Supreme Court rulings affirming the right to carry firearms for self-defense.

“The Supreme Court has guaranteed that Americans’ Second Amendment rights are not second-class rights, but the Ninth Circuit’s recent decision puts that guarantee in jeopardy,” Knudsen said. “I hope SCOTUS will take up this case and reverse this flawed decision to protect our right to keep and bear arms.”

The brief argues that the Ninth Circuit’s ruling conflicts with the Supreme Court’s decisions in District of Columbia v. Heller and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, which established that gun laws must align with the nation’s historical traditions of firearm regulation. According to the coalition, Hawaii’s law fails that test, especially in its reinterpretation of a so-called “default rule” — which flips the long-standing assumption that citizens can carry firearms in public places unless explicitly prohibited.

The coalition also notes a circuit split, as the Second Circuit recently upheld an injunction against a similar New York law, directly contradicting the Ninth Circuit’s ruling on comparable grounds. This discrepancy increases the likelihood of Supreme Court review.

“Without swift correction, the Ninth Circuit’s decision will muddle the clear Second Amendment standards this Court has adopted,” the brief states. “Its decision will encourage other states to erode Americans’ essential right to keep and bear arms.”

Attorneys general from 25 other states joined the Montana- and Idaho-led brief, including leaders from Texas, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, and Utah, along with the Arizona Legislature.

The Supreme Court has not yet announced whether it will hear the case. If it does, it could have wide-ranging implications for how states define “sensitive places” under the Second Amendment.

By: DNU staff

Filed Under: Featured, Home Featured, News

Related Articles:

  • UM Accounting Students Win National Scholarships
  • Governor Gianforte Praises $1.5 Million Expansion of Western Montana State Veterans Cemetery
  • Montana Coal Board Awards $1.8 Million for Public Safety and Infrastructure Projects
  • Auditor’s Office Blocks $21.6 Million in Insurance Rate Hikes
  • Knudsen Launches Multi-State Investigation into Big Tech Renewable Energy Claims
  • North Dakota Schools Chief Kirsten Baesler Confirmed as U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education

Primary Sidebar

— Advertisement —

Digital News Updates Logo

Recent News Posts

  • North Dakota Schools Chief Kirsten Baesler Confirmed as U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education
  • Governor Gianforte Praises $1.5 Million Expansion of Western Montana State Veterans Cemetery
  • Montana Coal Board Awards $1.8 Million for Public Safety and Infrastructure Projects
  • Watchdog says Biden Education Department defied court order on Title IX enforcement

Recent Politics Posts

  • Daines Introduces Bill to Protect Religious Student Groups on College Campuses
  • USITC Advances Probe Into Russian Palladium Imports After Montana Delegation Push
  • Knudsen Leads 27-State Coalition Challenging California’s Magazine Ban
  • Zinke Votes for Short-Term Funding Bill to Avert Government Shutdown

Recent Business Posts

  • Wall Street Rallies to Fresh Highs After Fed Rate Cut
  • Governor Gianforte Welcomes Rivian as First Electric Vehicle Manufacturer in Montana
  • Montana State opens quantum computing facility
  • Warren Buffett Marks 95th Birthday With Reflection on Legacy, Berkshire’s Future

Copyright © 2025 Digital News Updates, All Rights Reserved.