Gun-control advocates face string of court setbacks across the United States

In the past six weeks, gun-control groups have lost several high-profile cases, including a Supreme Court ruling that invalidated Hawaii’s ban on concealed carry on private property.

Gun-control organizations have endured a series of judicial losses this summer, highlighted by the Supreme Court’s June 25 ruling in Wolford v. Lopez that nullified Hawaii’s requirement for owners’ consent before concealed firearms may be carried on private land. A week earlier, the Court curtailed the federal government’s ability to charge marijuana users for gun possession in Hemani v. United States. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed Everytown for Gun Safety’s lawsuit against Texas, which sought to make it easier to bar concealed carry in private businesses.

In a separate July 17 decision, the Third Circuit, through a Biden-appointed judge, struck down New Jersey’s prohibition on modern semiautomatic weapons, despite amicus briefs from Giffords Law Center and Everytown. Virginia judges also halted the state’s ban on modern semiautomatics, a law signed by Governor Abigail Spanberger, while the case awaits the Supreme Court’s ruling in Viramontes v. Cook County. Throughout these defeats, Giffords Law Center and Giffords PAC have defended the challenged statutes and continued to support pro-gun-safety legislators.