Jan. 20 (UPI) — The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments Tuesday over Hawaii’s so-called vampire rule gun law that requires people to ask permission before bringing firearms onto private property.
The Supreme Court will mull whether the “vampire rule” gun law violates the Second Amendment right to bear arms. The law was enacted as part of a larger package of gun reforms, including a ban on concealed firearms in places like schools, bars and other public places.
The law is referred to as the “vampire rule,” drawing from a trope in vampire fiction that vampires must be given permission by property owners to enter.
For a gun owner to carry a firearm on private property that is generally open to the public, they must receive express permission from the property owner.
The law has been challenged by a group of gun owners who argue that prohibiting guns in public spaces owned by private entities by default is unconstitutional. They say it should be up to the property owners to decide if guns are not permitted on their properties.
Hawaii is not the first state to have a law that does not allow firearms to be carried on private property without permission. New York, New Jersey, California and Maryland have similar laws.
Hawaii’s law applies to a host of private properties that are otherwise open to the public, including stores, restaurants and gas stations. Violating the law can carry a sentence of up to a year in prison.
The conservative majority in the Supreme Court has often ruled in favor of the rights of gun owners. In 2022, the high court’s Bruen decision struck down a New York law that required people to demonstrate a proper cause to carry a handgun in public outside of self-defense.
Hawaii’s state officials say their law adheres to the Bruen ruling.