South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has filed legal briefs opposing two Hawaii laws that impose restrictions on gun rights. The actions are part of broader efforts by several states to challenge regulations they argue violate the Second Amendment.
Attorney General Wilson stated, “The Second Amendment says the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed, which includes not allowing a state to infringe on that right. The Second Amendment is a precious and vital right that needs to be defended everywhere, because federal court and Supreme Court rulings in other states could affect that right in South Carolina.”
In one case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Wilson joined a 24-state friend-of-the-court brief against a Hawaii law requiring prospective gun buyers to follow multiple steps: identifying the specific firearm and its serial number, applying for a permit at the police department, waiting 14 days, retrieving the permit within 30 days during business hours, purchasing the gun within another 30-day window, and finally returning to the police station within five days for inspection by the chief of police. Missing any step means starting over, with potential criminal penalties if requirements are not met.
Wilson also joined a separate 25-state brief in a case now before the Supreme Court. This case concerns a Hawaii law effectively banning carrying firearms on private property open to the public unless explicit permission is given. According to one district judge cited in court filings, this restricts carrying rights to “only while taking your dog out for a walk on a city sidewalk.”
The attorneys general from numerous other states participated in both briefs alongside Wilson. In the first case, he was joined by representatives from Idaho, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming as well as the Arizona Legislature. The second brief included similar participation along with New Hampshire and Oklahoma.
These filings reflect ongoing national debates about state-level gun regulations and their intersection with constitutional rights.
