Supreme Court Declines to Hear Hawaii Gun Licensing Challenge

The court left a state ruling intact but signaled openness to revisiting the Second Amendment issue in a future case.

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Christopher Wilson's appeal challenging Hawaii's strict gun licensing laws, allowing the case to proceed to trial.
Wilson was charged in 2017 for carrying a firearm without a license, which he argued violated his Second Amendment rights under recent Supreme Court precedents.
Hawaii's Supreme Court upheld the charges, criticizing the U.S. Supreme Court's 2022 ruling on gun rights as outdated and overly reliant on historical context.
Justice Clarence Thomas, joined by Justice Samuel Alito, called Hawaii's laws 'obviously unconstitutional' but said the case's procedural posture prevented intervention.
The decision leaves unresolved questions about the constitutionality of state licensing laws, with justices suggesting the issue may be revisited after Wilson's trial or in another case.