SCOTUS Rules: You Don't Need Permission to Carry a Legal Firearm Into a Business.
The Second Amendment won big at the Supreme Court today. Nevada's Attorney General Aaron Ford helped fight against it.
🚨 In a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court struck down Hawaii’s rule that banned carrying guns on most private property that is open to the public unless the owner gave explicit permission, holding that it violates the Second and Fourteenth Amendments. pic.twitter.com/yz7303UybD
— SCOTUS Wire (@scotus_wire) June 25, 2026
The case is called Wolford v. Lopez.
It started in Hawaii, where Democratic Governor Josh Green signed a law in 2023 that made it a crime for licensed concealed-carry permit holders to bring a firearm into any business open to the public, unless the owner posted a sign or gave express permission first.
In other words, if you had a legal permit to carry, you were still guilty of a misdemeanor just for walking into a gas station or grocery store without the owner's written blessing.
Three Maui residents with concealed-carry permits and the Hawaii Firearms Coalition said enough and took the state to court.
The case eventually landed at the U.S. Supreme Court. And this week, the Court struck down Hawaii's default “no-carry” rule as unconstitutional.
Where Does Aaron Ford Come In?
Ford didn't start this fight. But he joined it.
Nevada's Attorney General signed onto a multi-state amicus brief defending Hawaii's anti-carry law.
The brief argued that states should be allowed to flip the burden onto law-abiding gun owners, forcing them to get permission before exercising a constitutional right.
Ford's name is right there on the brief, alongside attorneys general from California, Illinois, New York, and a handful of other deep-blue states.
That's a choice. And it was the wrong one.
The Supreme Court disagreed with Ford's position. The Court's ruling made clear that states can't create a blanket presumption against licensed carry in everyday public spaces.
Private property owners still have every right to post a “no guns” sign and enforce it. That hasn't changed.
But the government can't make the default assumption that you're not allowed to carry until you prove otherwise.
There's a big difference between a business owner making that call and a politician making it for everyone.
Ford's Record on Your Gun Rights
This isn't the first time Ford has worked to limit Second Amendment rights in Nevada and beyond.
His office has pushed restrictions on ghost guns, bump stocks, and silencers.
He's joined multistate efforts opposing federal policies that gun-rights advocates supported.
He consistently aligns with the most restrictive positions available on firearms.
Ford is a Democrat, and that's his right. But Nevadans who legally own and carry firearms should know exactly where their attorney general stands when the chips are down.
He stood with Hawaii's gun-control law. The Supreme Court said that law was unconstitutional.
What This Ruling Means for You
If you've got a legal permit to carry a concealed firearm in Nevada, this ruling matters.
It reinforces the precedent set by Bruen in 2022, which already struck down New York's overly restrictive carry law.
The Court is sending a consistent message: the Second Amendment isn't a suggestion, and states can't use creative workarounds to gut it.
Critics will argue this ruling makes public spaces less safe.
That's the same argument that's been made for decades, and crime statistics in states with strong concealed-carry laws have never backed it up.
What the ruling actually does is treat licensed gun owners like adults, not suspects.
Aaron Ford has a history of betting against your gun rights. This week, the Supreme Court reminded him that the Constitution still means something.
Nevada gun owners noticed.
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