Published August 12, 2026 at 5:48 PM ET · Updated August 13, 2026 at 12:06 AM ET
Second Amendment roundup: the militia of the sea
2 independent outlets are covering this story, first reported here by AmmoLand. Verification: Corroborated (how we verify). Every headline links to the original reporting.
A Second Amendment legal roundup covered a Ninth Circuit ruling against Hawaii's regulation described as the vampire rule. The article also discussed Second Amendment rights in the context of a militia of the sea.
Patriot Watch first flagged this story 6 hr ago, when AmmoLand reported it. Coverage has since grown to 2 independent outlets. The most recent report came 2 hr ago from Reason.
⚖ The Constitutional Angle
Jason Wolford v. Anne E. Lopez held that Hawaii cannot require licensed concealed-carry holders to obtain an owner's express authorization before carrying on private property open to the public, restoring the common-law implied-license default. District of Columbia v. Heller settled that the Second Amendment protects an individual right unconnected with militia service, which speaks directly to the militia framing.
Jason Wolford v. Anne E. Lopez, Attorney General of Hawaii 609 U.S. ___ (2026) (slip op.); U.S. Reports page not yet assigned
Vote: 6-3 · Opinion: Alito
Hawaii's law (Haw. Rev. Stat. § 134-9.5(a) (2023)) prohibiting licensed concealed-carry permit holders from carrying handguns on private property open to the public without the owner's express authorization violates the Second and Fourteenth Amendments. The decision restores the common-law default: a person lawfully carrying enjoys the implied license to enter property held open to the public unless the owner withdraws consent — a State may not flip that default to require express permission.
District of Columbia v. Heller 554 U.S. 570 (2008)
Vote: 5-4 · Opinion: Scalia
The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia and to use it for traditionally lawful purposes such as self-defense within the home. The right is not unlimited: the Court noted that longstanding prohibitions (e.g., possession by felons and the mentally ill, carrying in sensitive places, conditions on commercial sale) remain presumptively lawful. D.C.'s ban on handgun possession in the home and its requirement that lawful firearms in the home be kept nonfunctional violate the Second Amendment.
Precedent facts from the PW Law Library — primary-source verified & independently audited
