GIFFORDS Law Center, Brady statements on SCOTUS Wolford v. Lopez opinion

WASHINGTON — GIFFORDS Law Center, the legal arm of the national gun violence prevention group GIFFORDS, and Brady: United Against Gun Violence released the following statements on the United States Supreme Court decision in Wolford v. Lopez. Hawaii’s law, which was struck down in this decision, set a new default for private property, requiring those carrying guns to gain the express permission of property owners to bring guns onto private property open to the public. GIFFORDS Law Center and Brady filed a joint amicus brief before the Court. 

“We are disappointed with the Supreme Court’s decision. Hawaii’s private property law wasn’t about banning firearms. Instead, it reflected the commonsense notion that property owners have a right to choose whether to allow firearms on their private property — places where their kids, neighbors and community members deserve to have peace of mind. Thankfully, the opinion still leaves open avenues for property owners to exercise that right. But ultimately, this case is another example of the Court’s conservative majority pushing its ‘guns everywhere’ agenda, and it will put far too many lives at risk,” said Billy Clark, GIFFORDS Law Center, Senior Litigation Attorney. 

“I will not mince words: This deeply dangerous majority opinion privileges guns over everything and all people in society. It is eminently reasonable that visitors receive property owners’ permission to bring firearms onto their private property open to the public. Yet the court has manipulated a legal test of their own design to launch this attack on public safety and our freedom from gun violence. What’s more, they are thwarting the will of the people and the legislature. This common-sense law is what the people of Hawaii wanted, but the court has complete disregard for that community will. Ultimately, the court makes it clear that it cares little about the threat of gun violence posed to the American people,” said Kris Brown, President of Brady.