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The Hawaii Supreme Court issued a stunning rebuke to the United States Supreme Court, ruling that citizens of the state do not have a constitutional right to bear arms.
The state's High Court ruled that the "spirit of Aloha" supersedes the Constitution.
"Article I, section 17 of the Hawaii Constitution mirrors the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution," Justice Todd Eddins wrote. "We read those words differently than the current United States Supreme Court. We hold that in Hawaii, there is no state constitutional right to carry a firearm in public."
"The spirit of Aloha clashes with a federally-mandated lifestyle that lets citizens walk around with deadly weapons during day-to-day activities," Eddins explained. "The history of the Hawaiian Islands does not include a society where armed people move about the community to possibly combat the deadly aims of others."
The court defended Hawaii's gun laws, arguing they have "preserved peace and tranquility in Hawaii."
"A free-wheeling right to carry guns in public degrades other constitutional rights," Eddins wrote. "The right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness encompasses a right to freely and safely move in peace and tranquility."
The judges also took aim at the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen, which found states must show historical evidence to back up their laws.
"The thing about the old days, they the old days," Eddins wrote, quoting The Wire. He went on to say that we should not base our legal decisions on "the founding era's culture, realities, laws, and understanding of the Constitution."