By: Richard L. Smith
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Davenport is criticizing a U.S. Supreme Court decision that could affect how businesses across the country, including in New Jersey, regulate firearms on their property.
According to a statement released by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, Davenport called Thursday’s ruling in Wolford v. Lopez “a dangerous blow to public safety,” saying it will make it more difficult for businesses open to the public to prohibit firearms inside their establishments.
According to Reuters, the case challenged a Hawaii law enacted after the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark 2022 ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen. The Hawaii law required people with concealed-carry permits to obtain a property owner’s express permission before carrying a firearm into businesses and other private property open to the public.
Reuters reported that in a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled the Hawaii law violated the Second Amendment, with the majority concluding that states cannot presume firearms are prohibited on private property that is open to the public unless the property owner specifically says so.
The ruling is expected to have implications beyond Hawaii. According to Reuters, New Jersey, New York, California, and Maryland adopted similar restrictions after the Court’s Bruen decision, and Thursday’s ruling is expected to prompt additional legal challenges to those laws.
In his statement, Davenport said:
“Today’s decision in Wolford v. Lopez is the Supreme Court’s latest dangerous blow to public safety. This badly mistaken decision will make it harder for businesses open to the public to exclude guns from their property, putting additional burdens on them to keep their patrons safe. That outcome doesn’t make anyone safer.”
The Attorney General added that despite the ruling, New Jersey will continue its efforts to reduce gun violence, pointing to what he described as record-low levels of gun violence achieved through coordinated law enforcement efforts across the state.
While the Supreme Court’s decision invalidates Hawaii’s law, legal experts say its impact will likely extend nationwide as lower courts determine how the ruling applies to similar firearm restrictions in other states, including New Jersey.