Hawaii Lawmakers Panic After Supreme Court Hearing — Push New Carry Workaround

Well, that didn’t take long. The Supreme Court of the United States has barely finished hearing oral arguments in Wolford v. Lopez, and Hawaii lawmakers are already scrambling to engineer a legislative workaround—an unmistakable sign they’re worried about how the Court may rule.  We previously covered this as Hawaii was urging the Supreme Court to uphold this unconstitutional law.

As we previously covered at 2 If By Sea Tactical, Wolford challenges Hawaii’s so-called “vampire rule,” which bans licensed carry on nearly all private property unless a gun owner receives explicit permission from the property owner. Combined with an expansive list of “sensitive places,” the law effectively erased the practical right to carry firearms for self-defense across the state. Now, before the Supreme Court has even issued a decision, Hawaii politicians are moving to double down.

On January 23, Hawaii State Sen. Chris Lee (D) introduced Senate Bill 3041, cynically titled “relating to public safety.” The bill raced through first reading just days later. Rather than exercising restraint during active litigation, lawmakers used the bill’s preamble to openly attack the Supreme Court—claiming the Court made life “more dangerous” by deciding New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, which reaffirmed that the Second Amendment protects the right to carry firearms in public.

SB 3041 would require every business open to the public to post state-mandated, color-coded placards declaring whether firearms or “large knives” are allowed inside.

• Green sign: Firearms and large knives not allowed

  
  

• Red sign: Firearms and large knives allowed

  
  

• Yellow sign: Either firearms or large knives allowed—but not both

  
  

The bill offers no meaningful guidance on how a business is supposed to interpret or enforce these categories. Even worse, the definition of a “large knife” is left completely blank in the statute—literally a fill-in-the-blank. Failure to post a placard wouldn’t just default to carry being allowed—it would make it illegal to operate the business at all. This isn’t public safety. It’s legislative coercion.

SB 3041 forces business owners to take a public position in a deeply divisive political debate—whether they want to or not. Many proprietors prefer the long-standing neutral default: if someone is lawfully on the premises, they may carry lawful items unless explicitly prohibited. This bill destroys that neutrality.

It also raises serious First Amendment concerns, as compelled speech is just as unconstitutional as censorship. The state’s Department of Law Enforcement would design and distribute the signage, meaning the government—not the business owner—controls the message.

Hawaii is not an outlier. This strategy—losing in court, then rushing new laws to sidestep constitutional rulings—is being attempted in blue states across the country. Minnesota gun owners should not assume “it can’t happen here.”

Many of the same lawmakers and advocacy groups pushing these schemes in Hawaii support similar approaches elsewhere: default no-carry rules, forced signage, expanded “sensitive places,” and regulatory pressure designed to make lawful carry socially and legally impossible. History shows that once one blue state tries something like this, others follow. At 2 If By Sea Tactical, we don’t just operate Southern Minnesota’s premier indoor range and firearms store—we track the legal and political battles that directly affect your rights.

We’ll continue following Wolford v. Lopez and every attempt by states to undermine the Supreme Court’s guidance through backdoor legislation. Because the fight for the Second Amendment doesn’t end with a court ruling—it continues wherever politicians refuse to accept the Constitution. Check back with 2 If By Sea Tactical for the latest Second Amendment news, analysis, and updates that actually matter to gun owners. Rights don’t defend themselves—and neither do we take them for granted.

Here at 2 If By Sea Tactical we strive to bring you the best experience in the firearms world.  As we continue to grow the media arm of 2 If By Sea, make sure you keep tuning in to our Youtube and Rumble channels and right here at “The Patriot’s Almanac” to stay informed on the latest happenings in the firearm world! But we are not lawyers, so this isn't legal guidance. We are proud to be Southern Minnesota source for all things 2A.

Stay sharp, stay informed, and stay ready.