Justice Department Sues Glendale, California Over Firearms Permitting Process and Fees

WASHINGTON — Though one of its staunchest 2A advocates has departed, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division is full steam ahead in its mission to defend Second Amendment rights, announcing on November 10 a lawsuit filed against the City of Glendale, California over unreasonable firearms permit fees and processes.

“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, in a press statement. “The City of Glendale cannot impose unreasonable fees and unbridled discretion that undermines that core constitutional right.”

Osete is filling the role left empty by the recent departure of Harmeet Dhillon, who led the newly created Second Amendment Section that was announced 11 months ago, with the mission “to ensure that law-abiding American citizens may responsibly possess, carry, and use firearms.”

Although Ms. Dhillon has stepped back from her role at the DOJ, she continues to keep a close watch on the work at the group she stood up, commenting on X, “The team I assembled at [Civil Rights] continues to aggressively defend all Americans’ rights. Proud of them and their work.”

The affirmative suit brought by the Civil Rights Division against the City of Glendale challenges the enormous cost of obtaining a concealed weapons permit, which ranges from $1,971 to $2,106, with a two-year required renewal costing an additional $1,271 to $1,406.

The suit against Glendale is a facial Second Amendment challenge under the Bruen Supreme Court decision, and asserts that the shall-issue permitting scheme is unconstitutional and “abusive.” The suit was filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.

The Civil Rights Division’s affirmative lawsuit strategy has already paid dividends, with a similar lawsuit against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department resulting in a settlement in August. The settlement stipulates the termination of the county’s permit delays and a four-year monitoring period to provide mandatory reporting to prove that it is in compliance with the law.

The DOJ recently announced investigations into permitting delays in New Jersey and Connecticut, and suggested that more investigations and even lawsuits could be forthcoming.