The La Verne Police Department revealed on Thursday that it developed an application process for obtaining a Carry Concealed Weapon (CCW) license. That’s the good news for those who wish to exercise their constitutional rights.
The bad news is that city leaders clearly do not intend for anyone to follow through and get their CCW.
Applicants are required to jump through numerous hoops in the process, including getting mental testing with a department-approved psychological screening. On top of that, there is a series of fees totaling nearly $1,100 for all first-time applicants.
Those seeking a permit will be charged a $398 processing fee, a $150 administrative fee, a $93 licensing fee, $20 for fingerprinting, $150 for the mandated department-approved psychological review, $250 for the department-approved safety and training course, and $20 for the actual CCW card.
The total to be shelled out to exercise Second Amendment rights in La Verne is $1,081.
According to the department’s website, those who obtain their CCW will be forced to renew every two years. That process carries an almost $650 price tag.
La Verne’s moves came nearly nine months after the U.S. Supreme Court emphatically ruled on the right to carry a firearm. The high court’s decision in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen struck down state-level “may-issue” standards that were designed to prevent almost all law-abiding Americans from legally being able to carry a firearm.
California’s previous regulations also fell by the wayside.
The ruling guaranteed that, if they meet objective and reasonable criteria, law-abiding adults have a pathway to get a license to carry.
However, there were some gun rights advocates who worried — apparently reasonably — that governments would simply enact new restrictions that carried an objective but strenuous process to discourage virtually everyone from applying.
The municipality or state could proclaim that they had an “objective” process in place, thus complying with the Supreme Court edict. However, the reality is that lawful citizens would still be prevented from exercising their legal right to carry.
Bruen’s author, Justice Clarence Thomas, noted that states may undoubtedly administer a process for obtaining concealed carry permits through which “a general desire for self-defense is sufficient.” He also, however, observed that the process is ripe for abuse and that this must be avoided.
“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.”
Second Amendment advocates have already cried foul over La Verne’s process. The California Rifle and Pistol Association, through its law firm, Michel and Associates, sent a letter to the city on Monday. It cautioned leaders to either adjust the process for obtaining a license to carry or face legal action.
The group expressed its gratitude for the city developing a process to apply for a concealed handgun license. However, “our happiness quickly turned sour when we saw the outlandish fee schedule included in the permit application process. Further, we’ve heard from members that La Verne is requiring applicants to submit letters of recommendation alongside their applications.”
The letter observed that the fees are more than double those of nearby jurisdictions, which carry $400-500 in costs. For further comparison, Oregon residents are charged $65 for a CCW and it’s $97 in Florida.
The sleight of hand performed by La Verne leaders will not stand. It is clearly outside the bounds of Bruen’s admonition to allow legal carry for law-abiding Americans, and simply another example of the lengths the anti-gun lobby will pursue to strip away citizens’ Second Amendment rights.
