Hawaii Gun Control Laws Targeting Young Adults Challenged 

The SAF has filed a federal lawsuit against the state of Hawaii, challenging gun control laws that prohibit young adults between the ages of 18 and 20 from purchasing or possessing firearms and ammunition.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii, argues that these restrictions violate the plaintiffs’ Second and Fourteenth Amendment rights. SAF is joined in the legal action by Aloha Strategics LLC, JGB Arms LLC and two private citizens, Juda Roache and Elijah Pinales. The case is titled Pinales v. Attorney General for the State of Hawaii.

Named as the defendant in the suit is Hawaii Attorney General Anne E. Lopez, in her official capacity.

The plaintiffs are seeking injunctive relief, which would temporarily block the enforcement of the state’s gun restrictions while the case is pending. Attorneys Kevin O’Grady of Honolulu and Alan Beck of San Diego are representing the plaintiffs.

“Hawaii’s ban on the purchase and possession of firearms by adults in the 18-to-20-year-old age group makes it impossible for these citizens to exercise their constitutional right to keep and bear arms,” said SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut. “Their rights have been affirmed by recent Supreme Court rulings, and Hawaii’s statutes clearly conflict with those decisions.”

SAF founder Alan M. Gottlieb criticized Hawaii’s laws as an infringement on constitutional rights. “Hawaii has essentially decided the Second Amendment doesn’t apply in that state, and they can’t be allowed to get away with it,” he said. “Under the Fourteenth Amendment, no state shall make or enforce any law which abridges the rights guaranteed to citizens by the U.S. Constitution, and that includes young adults.”

The lawsuit comes on the heels of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, which clarified that gun control laws must align with the nation’s historical tradition of gun regulation.

In addition to the federal complaint, SAF attorneys have filed a memorandum in support of a motion for a preliminary injunction to prevent the enforcement of Hawaii’s gun restrictions while the case moves forward.

The lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal challenges aimed at revising state-level gun laws that plaintiffs believe infringe upon Second Amendment rights.