Feds Sue Glendale Over $2,100 Gun Permit

GLENDALE, Calif. — The U.S. Department of Justice sued the City of Glendale on November 9, 2026, alleging the city violates the Second Amendment by requiring unreasonable fees to obtain concealed carry permits, the department announced.

Read the U.S. Department of Justice release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-city-glendale-california-violating-citizens-second-amendment-rights

The lawsuit was announced by the Justice Department's Office of Public Affairs on November 9, 2026.

The Civil Rights Division's Second Amendment Section is enforcing the claim, according to the release.

First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California joined the announcement, according to the release.

The Fees, The Jump, The Renewal

The Glendale Police Department administers the permitting regime, according to the release.

The total cost of an initial application for a concealed carry permit ranges from $1,971.00 to $2,106.00, the department said.

A renewal application, which citizens must complete every two years, costs $1,271.00 to $1,406.00, according to the release.

In the previous fiscal year, Glendale PD required only a $100 fee for first-time applicants and a $25 fee for renewals, the department said.

The Interviews, The Exams, The Missing Standards

Glendale PD also requires applicant reference interviews, according to the release.

It requires psychological exams and interviews of the applicant, the department said.

It requires a review of public statements, including social media, according to the release.

Glendale PD does not publish any objective standards that it applies to these checks, the department said.

"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. "The City of Glendale cannot impose unreasonable fees and unbridled discretion that undermines that core constitutional right."

"The right to bear arms is a fundamental right the Founding Fathers enshrined during our republic's earliest years," said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. "Exorbitant government fees that interfere with this right are abhorrent to our Constitution and our nation's founding principles. This Justice Department will not stand by and watch our freedoms be eroded."

The Bruen Test, The Lawsuit, The Complaint Portal

The department cited New York State Rifle & Pistol Ass'n, Inc. v. Bruen, 597 U.S. 1 (2022), in the release.

Under Bruen, a permitting regime must use "narrow, objective, and definite standards," according to the release.

The department said Glendale PD's fees are an unreasonable barrier to exercising the right, and its policies and practices therefore violate the fundamental rights to keep and bear lawful firearms.

The Second Amendment Section of the Civil Rights Division enforces the Second Amendment, the Police Pattern or Practice Act (34 U.S.C. § 12601), and Executive Order 14206, according to the release.

The lawsuit will now proceed in court. No ruling has been announced.

Current or prospective gun owners who believe a state or local government has infringed their right to keep and bear arms can submit a complaint through www.justice.gov/crt/second-amendment-section, according to the release.

Sources

U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, "Justice Department Sues the City of Glendale, California for Violating Citizens' Second Amendment Rights Through Unreasonable Fees and Processes for Legal Firearm Permitting," November 9, 2026: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-city-glendale-california-violating-citizens-second-amendment-rights