Last week, a U.S. District Court judge upheld a 1994 state law prohibiting anyone under the age of 21 from acquiring firearms and ammunition except for hunting and other specified purposes.

What You Need To Know

  • In denying a motion for preliminary injunction in the case of Elijah Pinales, et. A. v. Anne E. Lopez, U.S. District Judge Jill Otake ruled that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate that they were likely to succeed in their constitutional challenge and had failed to show that enjoining the age restriction would serve the public interest
  • The suit was filed by Elijah Pinales, 19, and Juda Roache, 18; firearms dealers Aloha Strategics LLC and JGB Arms LLC; and the advocacy group Second Amendment Foundation
  • Otake noted in her decision that 'this order in no way affects the ability of people under 21 to use firearms in accordance with the State’s law, which allows for several exceptions'

In denying a motion for preliminary injunction in the case of Elijah Pinales, et. A. v. Anne E. Lopez, U.S. District Judge Jill Otake ruled that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate that they were likely to succeed in their constitutional challenge and had failed to show that enjoining the age restriction would serve the public interest.

The suit was filed by Elijah Pinales, 19, and Juda Roache, 18; firearms dealers Aloha Strategics LLC and JGB Arms LLC; and the advocacy group Second Amendment Foundation. It alleges that the state’s firearms age-restriction laws violate the Second Amendment.

“There is a strong historical tradition in this country of restricting the type of arms that people under 21 years old may keep and bear,” Otake stated in her ruling, adding that the plaintiffs had not demonstrated that the state’s current laws are inconsistent with that principle. 

Otake noted in her decision that “this order in no way affects the ability of people under 21 to use firearms in accordance with the State’s law, which allows for several exceptions.”

“Hawaii’s gun laws protect public safety and save lives,” said Ewan Rayner, who along with fellow deputy solicitor general Thomas Hughes represented the state in the case. “Today’s decision confirms that the state’s age limit on acquiring a firearm, which has been in effect for over 30 years, is consistent with a long history of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of our youths.”

Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at michael.tsai@charter.com.