Women for Gun Rights applauds the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Wolford v. Lopez, a landmark Second Amendment case examining whether states may presume that all private property, open to the public, is off-limits to lawfully armed citizens unless a property owner expressly grants permission. You may have heard it referred to as the 'vampire rule', referencing Dracula needing expressed consent before entering.
In a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court struck down Hawaii's rule that banned carrying guns on most private property.
The case challenged a Hawaii law creating a default prohibition on licensed concealed carry in privately owned businesses and other property open to the public unless the owner explicitly granted permission. Similar laws have been enacted or proposed in several other states following the Supreme Court's 2022 decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen.
"This case was never about taking away a property owner's right to decide what happens on their own property," said Amanda Suffecool, Women for Gun Rights Advisory Board Member explained. "Private property owners have always been free to prohibit firearms if they choose. The issue was whether government can step in and presume every business owner has preemptively made the prohibitive decision. Constitutional rights should not disappear because the state created a legal fiction that turns every doorway into a barrier."
Dianna Muller, founder of Women for Gun Rights, added, "The Second Amendment protects the right of responsible Americans to defend themselves. Women, especially, should not have to surrender that right every time they stop for groceries, fill up at a gas station, or walk into a local business. This decision reinforces that governments cannot undermine constitutional freedoms through sweeping default prohibitions.
Women for Gun Rights noted that the Court's decision provides important guidance for states seeking to regulate licensed concealed carry while remaining faithful to the Constitution and the historical tradition required under Bruen.
"This ruling is another reminder that constitutional rights deserve the same respect regardless of the political climate," Muller said. "The right to keep and bear arms is not a second-class right, and governments cannot chip away at it one restriction at a time."
About Women for Gun Rights: Women for Gun Rights is a nationwide organization of women committed to safeguarding the Second Amendment.
A non-partisan initiative of daughters, mothers, and sisters that believe education is the key to firearm safety and violence prevention, not legislation. We counter the disinformation gun control groups circulate by informing our friends, families, communities, and legislators with the truth that gun rights are human rights.