Today, the United States Department of Justice sued the City of Glendale, California, for violating citizens’ fundamental rights under the Second Amendment by requiring unreasonable fees to obtain concealed carry permits.
“The Department of Justice is committed to protecting law abiding citizens’ right to keep and bear arms under the Second Amendment,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Jesus Osete. “The City of Glendale cannot impose unreasonable fees and unbridled discretion that undermines that core constitutional right.”
“The right to bear arms is a fundamental right the Founding Fathers enshrined during our republic’s earliest years,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. “Exorbitant government fees that interfere with this right are abhorrent to our Constitution and our nation’s founding principles. This Justice Department will not stand by and watch our freedoms be eroded.”
The Glendale Police Department (Glendale PD) administers a permitting regime with a total cost of an initial application for a concealed carry permit ranging from $1,971.00 to $2,106.00. The total cost for a renewal application, which citizens must complete every two years, is $1,271.00 to $1,406.00. These exorbitant amounts are a stark contrast to costs from the previous fiscal year when Glendale PD required only a $100 fee for first-time applicants and a $25 fee for renewals. Glendale PD also requires applicant reference interviews, psychological exams, interviews of the applicant, and a review of public statements including social media. Glendale PD does not publish any objective standards that they apply to these checks.
It is well established that concealed carrying is a right. New York State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n, Inc. v. Bruen, 597 U.S. 1, 38 n. 9, 70 (2022). Glendale PD’s permitting fees are an unreasonable barrier to exercising that right, and its permitting regime lacks the “narrow, objective, and definite standards” which Bruen requires. Glendale PD’s policies and practices, therefore, violate the fundamental rights to keep and bear lawful firearms.
The Second Amendment Section of the Civil Rights Division enforces the Second Amendment , the Police Pattern or Practice Act ( 34 U.S.C. § 12601 ), and Executive Order 14206 . If you are a current or prospective gun owner and believe that a state or local government has infringed your right to keep and bear arms, please submit a complaint through www.justice.gov/crt/second-amendment-section.