Exercising your right to bear arms keeps getting more expensive in California, with yet another county edging closer to the four-figure mark for obtaining a concealed handgun permit.
In places like Santa Clara County and the city of San Jose it already costs well over $1,000 just to drop off your application, and when you add in the cost of training, fingerprinting, and the psych evaluation required by many counties the price tag goes up even further.
As Fox 40 in Sacramento reports, though, it's not just the uber-liberal coastal counties that are charging an arm and a leg to exercise a fundamental right. Even in places where "shall issue" was generally the practice long before the Supreme Court struck down "may issue" permitting regimes, local politicians are making it more expensive to lawfully carry in self-defense. In Sacramento County, for example, the initial application fee soared from $48 to $288 dollars starting July 25.
FOX40 compiled data from six counties in the region about the approximate cost for first-time applicants to obtain a CCW permit. The numbers reflect an initial fee to apply, an issuance fee, a background check, and 16 hours of required firearms training.
California permits are only good for two years, and while renewing a license may be slightly less expensive in terms of the application fee, gun owners still have to take an 8-hour training course with a live-fire test.
So far we haven't seen many legal challenges to the excessive fees that are being charged by localities. As part of the original complaint in California Rifle & Pistol Association v. Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, et al, the plaintiffs did file suit against the city of La Verne for charging almost $1,000. The city ended up settling earlier this year, however, after agreeing to subsidize some of the costs applicants incur.
Because the state allows licensing authorities to set their own fee schedule, the cost to carry can vary wildly from location to location. While San Jose charges more than $1,400 to apply for a permit, nearby San Francisco "only" charges $144. Los Angeles Sheriff's Department charges $216, while the San Diego County Sheriff's Office charges $35.20. Those are only the local fees, however, with additional costs imposed by the state.
The Supreme Court held in Bruen that even "shall issue" permitting regimes can violate the Second Amendment if they come with lengthy wait times and excessive fees. CRPA v. LASD continues to challenge the delays of a year or more that applicants face in Los Angeles County, but with the cost to carry continuing to climb it's just as important to pursue litigation against places like San Jose and Santa Clara County. As Lidie has experienced firsthand, the soaring costs are having an impact on the number of people who can afford to exercise their Second Amendment rights.
“In 2012 to 2017, we were teaching 5,000 people a year, right. Now we’re down to about 3,000,” Lidie said.
He believes several factors are likely to be at play.
“I think that it’s really significant because of the optics of it, right? We’ve got all of this nationwide divisiveness going on and we are doubling and, in some cases, tripling the cost of really, exercising your right,” Lidie said.
In California, Sacramento County is not the only place where costs are rising. Santa Clara County, which is comparable in population size, will cost you at least $1,200. The modification/duplication fee is $15.
“When you start talking $500 for a CCW, plus $300 for a class, you have to buy a gun. Now we’re at $1,500, plus, the ammo, the holster, the magazine carrier, the box to put it in because it’s illegal to leave it unattended in your vehicle. It’s $2,000, $2,100, that is a lot of money,” Lidie said.
Yes it is. And given that the vast majority of states don't charge anywhere close to $1,000 or more to apply for a carry license, it's also a completely unnecessary expense. These fees are punitive in nature, and while it will also be expensive to challenge them in court, I'd say it's a fight that will pay off in the long term.
