CRPA Still Fighting for CCW’s In EVERY Jurisdiction
It’s well over two years now since Bruen, and CRPA continues fighting for a “Bruen-compliant” CCW process in EVERY jurisdiction in California. We’ve got developments in both Ventura and Santa Clara Counties to report and our CRPA Chapters in each of those counties was instrumental in bringing these issues forward!
Just last week, CRPA filed a letter with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department urging protection of the sensitive information of CCW holders in that county. The Department is preparing its response to a Public Records Act request and CRPA makes a strong legal case for protecting this sensitive personal information.
You will recall that just a couple years ago, the Department of Justice leaked the personal information of gun owners in California. Where lawful firearms owners are concerned, the protection of sensitive information just doesn’t always seem the priority it ought to be.
CRPA also sent a letter to the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department and the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors demanding that they lower their exorbitant fees for CCW permitting immediately. In the letter, we warn that a lawsuit is imminent if the County does not comply.
The County has recently increased its CCW permitting fees so that applicants can expect to pay around $2,000 in total to exercise their right to carry. Santa Clara’s fees have increased from an already-high $662, to $976, in addition to a livescan fee (about $100-$150), the training course expense ($250-$500), and the psychological examination the County chooses to require (around $500). This is not only an order of magnitude more expensive than the cost of a CCW permit in nearly every other state, it is also around four times more expensive than most jurisdictions within California. As if that’s not enough, every two years, the CCW permit must be renewed. Santa Clara’s renewal fees went up to $477, from $187, plus the cost of an eight-hour training course.
This places an unacceptable burden on the Second Amendment right, and the Supreme Court warned in Bruen that “because any permitting scheme can be put toward abusive ends, we do not rule out constitutional challenges to shall-issue regimes where, for example, lengthy wait times in processing license applications or exorbitant fees deny ordinary citizens their right to public carry.”
CRPA will not stand for Santa Clara effectively denying the right to carry on the basis of income and is doing its best to address similar issues in as many places as possible. We are aware that there are many jurisdictions taking this unlawful tactic to prevent citizens from exercising their rights. We are calling on the United States Department of Justice to initiate a federal civil rights lawsuit against all counties that violate the Second Amendment in this way.
These latest efforts further CRPA’s CCW Reckoning Project, which remains vigilant, with the help of our Chapters and members across the state. Since the Bruen decision was announced, we’ve been at work in all 58 California counties ensuring that each and every one operates a CCW application and issuance process that complies with the new standard. Our work includes administrative prodding like this on up to our lawsuit against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.