Breaking: 9th Circuit Rejects Challenge to Hawaii Gun Law in Major Ruling as Supreme Court Mulls Whether to Take Up Similar Case

San Francisco, CA — Everytown Law, the litigation arm of Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, today responded after the 9th Circuit rejected a NRA-backed challenge to a Hawaii gun safety law, backing states’ right to limit open carry in public just two days before the U.S. Supreme Court discusses whether to grant review in a similar case out of New York. 

“Our review of more than 700 years of English and American legal history reveals a strong theme: government has the power to regulate arms in the public square,” Judge Jay Bybee, a President George W. Bush appointee, wrote in the court’s opinion. In explaining its decision, the court relied on historical arguments that Everytown Law presented in its June 2020 amicus brief in support of the state of Hawaii.

“Today’s ruling, joined by respected appellate judges across the ideological spectrum, is the latest reminder that arguments against reasonable, life-saving gun laws rarely hold up in the courtroom,” said Eric Tirschwell, managing director for Everytown Law. “As the court recognized, states and localities have extremely broad power to restrict the carrying of firearms in public spaces.”

On Friday, the Supreme Court will be discussing whether to review the Second Circuit’s decision to uphold a similar New York state law in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Corlett.