CHICAGO, October 7, 2025 — The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case aimed at allowing the patrons of restaurants, bars, convenience stores, and other food-away-from-home sources to carry a gun onto the premises without the establishments’ permission.
A ruling in favor of the plaintiffs would enable consumers with a concealed-weapon permit to tote their weapons into public facilities without having to ask if it’s okay with management. The lawsuit contends the Constitutionally stated right to bear arms outweighs any facility’s limits on guns, even if the facility is privately owned. If it’s open to the public, armed patrons would have a green light.
Even places that serve alcohol would be required to provide service to guests carrying guns.
The case challenges the legality of a 2023 Hawaiian law aimed at giving private businesses the right to keep guns out of their establishments. The law allows consumers to carry a permitted gun into a facility open to the public only if they have the express permission of the proprietor. If a place does not state that guns are allowed, the assumption is that permission to carry has not been granted.
The law also flat-out prohibits guns to be carried into “sensitive places” such as playgrounds, beaches, and parks. The Supreme Court will decide if that carve-out is legal.
Hawaii passed the law after the Supreme Court struck down a New York measure in 2022 that required consumers to show why they merited special permission to carry a handgun into public places like restaurants. Guests had to prove they needed the okay because their self-defense needs were extraordinary.
The case now on the Supreme Court’s docket, Wolford v. Lopez, was filed by the Hawaii Firearms Coalition and three holders of Hawaiian concealed-weapon permits. The start date for oral arguments was not revealed.
As Managing Editor for IFMA The Food Away from Home Association, Romeo is responsible for generating the group's news and feature content. He brings more than 40 years of experience in covering restaurants to the position.
Cover image courtesy: Closed Loop Project