By Aldgra Fredly
Contributing Writer
The Department of Justice is suing the city of Glendale in California over what it calls “unreasonable” concealed firearm carry permit application fees that cost more than $1,000.
The city charges an initial fee of $1,078 for a standard two-year concealed carry weapon license, with renewals costing $826, according to the Glendale Police Department’s website.
Glendale applicants also need to pay additional fees for fingerprinting, training and a psychological evaluation, bringing the total cost for an initial application to as much as $2,000, according to the DOJ’s lawsuit filed on Monday.
The department said this amount does not include “rolling fees” — also known as a service charge — for fingerprinting.
The total cost for license renewals reached approximately $1,300, excluding rolling fees, the new Live Scan fees, and any psychological evaluation. Renewed licenses are valid for only two years, according to the complaint.
In a statement announcing the lawsuit, the DOJ said the current fees starkly contrast with the previous fiscal year, when the city charged only $100 for first-time applicants and $25 for renewals.
The department accused Glendale of violating residents’ Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms by charging exorbitant fees for concealed carry permits.
“The city of Glendale cannot impose unreasonable fees and unbridled discretion that undermines that core constitutional right,” Acting Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Jesus Osete said in the statement.
The city of Glendale did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.
The DOJ has previously given Glendale time to resolve the issue without facing litigation. Harmeet K. Dhillon, then assistant attorney general for the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, said on Oct. 28 that Glendale officials had until Nov. 4 to express their interest in entering into a pre-suit settlement negotiation.
The department had urged Glendale to immediately cease the enforcement of the higher fees, stop the implementation of any “may-issue” processes, acknowledge that the high fees and “may-issue” policies are unconstitutional, and enter into a court-enforceable consent decree prohibiting the city from violating the constitutional rights of its citizens.
A “may-issue” regime refers to gun laws in a jurisdiction under which even if a person satisfies all the objective requirements for the permit, the authorities can still decide not to issue a license.
The California Rifle and Pistol Association raised concerns about the high concealed carry permit fees in an Aug. 27 letter to the Glendale Police Department interim chief and the city attorney, which was sent through their lawyers.
The group described Glendale’s fees as “multiples of what comparable and far larger jurisdictions charge” and that “there is no reasonable basis for such a disparity.”
The DOJ also filed a lawsuit against the city of San Jose on Sept. 16 over its nearly $1,600 firearm licensing fee. The fee rose by nearly $300 in just two and a half years to $1,591 following the city’s previous rate hike.
On Sept. 24, the department sued Minnesota and the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul over their waiting periods on firearm purchases. Waiting periods for approvals from police chiefs in Minneapolis and St. Paul commonly exceed the statutory 30-day limit, with some residents waiting nearly 60 days, the DOJ said.
Naveen Athrappully contributed to this report.
