Bikinis, surfboards and battle-axes? Hawaii loosens long-strict weapons laws after court ruling

Associated Press

HONOLULU (AP) — Second Amendment activists in Hawaii are celebrating a recent legal change that allows them to carry not just guns but other weapons — from battle-axes to butterfly knives — openly in public. Hawaii has long had strict weapons laws and some of the lowest rates of gun violence in the U.S. But it loosened the laws this year after the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision expanding gun rights — as well as a subsequent appeals court ruling striking down the state’s ban on butterfly knives. Andrew Roberts, director of the Hawaii Firearms Coalition, has begun walking around his neighborhood with a battle-axe. He says it’s a good conversation starter to teach people about the right to bear arms.