St. Thomas Law Review – Second Amendment

Constitutional Law Featured Supreme Court

The Right to Bear Arms—or the Right to Say No? Hawaii’s Act 52 and the Limits of State Regulations of Firearms

April 8, 2026By April Sanchez

The Second Amendment consistently produces significant tension across a range of personal and societal relationships. Debate persists over whether firearm regulations should be tightened or loosened, and which approach can best achieve an appropriate balance between competing interests. However, this tension does not only exist at this most innate level. It also arises between states […]

Constitutional Law Featured Statutory Interpretation

Statutory Interpretation or Gun Control? How a Supreme Court Decision May Change the Meaning of a “Machinegun”

March 22, 2024By Stephanie Blanco

Pursuant to 26 U.S.C. § 5845(b), a machinegun is “any weapon which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily restored to shoot, automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger.”[i] The definition also includes the “frame or receiver of any such weapon, any part designed […]

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The Right to Bear Arms—or the Right to Say No? Hawaii’s Act 52 and the Limits of State Regulations of Firearms

Statutory Interpretation or Gun Control? How a Supreme Court Decision May Change the Meaning of a “Machinegun”