Black Gun Laws

Описание: "Black Laws of Hawaii" refers not to specific, historical discriminatory laws
in Hawaii, but to the U.S. Supreme Court's recent debate over Hawaii's "vampire rule" for guns, where the state argued its modern restrictions on carrying guns on private property (requiring owner consent) mirrored post-Civil War "Black Codes" from the South, aiming to show a historical tradition of such restrictions, a claim conservative justices questioned due to the codes' racist origins.
The Core Issue in the Supreme Court Case:
Hawaii's Law: Hawaii requires gun owners with permits to get explicit permission (written or verbal) from property owners before carrying guns onto private property open to the public (like stores, hotels).
The "Vampire Rule": This law is nicknamed the "vampire rule" because, like Dracula, it forces gun carriers to ask permission before entering, unlike traditional American practice where people could generally carry unless explicitly forbidden.
Hawaii's Defense: Hawaii's lawyer, Neal Katyal, argued that this rule aligns with historical tradition, citing post-Civil War "Black Codes" (like Louisiana's 1865 law) that required consent to carry firearms onto property, a defense that drew sharp criticism from justices.
Justices' Concerns: Conservative justices, particularly Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch, found it ironic and problematic to use racist laws designed to disarm Black people to justify modern gun restrictions, questioning the historical analogy.

Key Takeaway
The phrase "Black Laws of Hawaii" isn't about existing, race-based laws in Hawaii, but rather a controversial legal argument made by Hawaii in a Supreme Court case (Wolford v. Lopez) to defend its gun law by referencing racist Southern Black Codes as historical precedent for controlling firearm access to private property.