Supreme Court Broadens 2 Gun Rights Rulings, Striking Drug-User Ban and Hawaii Carry Limits
Updated
Updated · The Conversation · Jun 26
Supreme Court Broadens 2 Gun Rights Rulings, Striking Drug-User Ban and Hawaii Carry Limits
3 articles · Updated · The Conversation · Jun 26
Summary
Two June 2026 Supreme Court rulings widened Second Amendment protections by blocking Hawaii from making concealed carry effectively impossible and by invalidating a federal gun ban for at least some marijuana users.
6-3 in Wolford v. Lopez, the court said Hawaii’s default ban on carrying guns onto private property without explicit permission hobbled the right recognized in the 2022 Bruen decision.
Unanimously in U.S. v. Hemani, the justices said the 1968-era federal restriction on gun possession by unlawful drug users swept too broadly when applied to moderate marijuana use.
Bruen’s history-and-tradition test drove both outcomes: the court found no close historical analogue for disarming ordinary cannabis users, while earlier examples supported limits on more clearly dangerous groups such as domestic abusers.
The Hemani ruling also reflects marijuana’s mainstreaming — including the federal move to Schedule 3 — signaling tougher odds for future gun restrictions lacking deep historical roots.
What firearm laws can still survive the Supreme Court's strict 'history and tradition' test after these landmark rulings?
As gun rights now extend into private businesses, who is responsible for safety when public rights meet private property?
Supreme Court 2026: Landmark Rulings Redefine Gun Rights for Public Carry and Marijuana Users
Overview
This report examines two major Supreme Court rulings from June 2026 that reshape gun rights in the United States. The Court struck down Hawaii’s 'vampire rule,' which had required express consent to carry firearms on private property open to the public, aligning Hawaii with most other states. This decision followed a legal challenge by gun rights advocates and reflected the Court’s ongoing expansion of Second Amendment protections. The report also covers a unanimous ruling that marijuana use alone cannot justify banning someone from owning a gun, signaling a shift toward requiring historical precedent for firearm restrictions and prompting states to reconsider their gun laws.