On Wednesday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed that it is investigating Pennsauken, New Jersey, for potentially infringing on citizens’ Second Amendment rights.
New Jersey is known for having some of the most stringent gun laws in the nation, as noted by the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA). Harmeet Dhillon, the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, stated in a release that this investigation aims to address practices deemed “egregious and unjust” by the DOJ.
“I have instructed the Civil Rights Division, through our Second Amendment Section, to protect law-abiding citizens from local governments that violate their right to carry legal firearms safely,” Dhillon explained. “We are looking into claims that there have been unconstitutional delays in firearm permits, and if that’s the case, we’re hoping to resolve it.”
“Various individuals and organizations have mentioned to us that they faced significant delays from Pennsauken when submitting applications for permits to purchase legal handguns,” DOJ officials told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “We haven’t drawn any conclusions yet, but we will investigate if there’s a consistent pattern of rights deprivation.”
To apply for a concealed carry permit in Pennsauken, applicants are required to provide four references, a decade-long address history, and submit their fingerprints, according to the city’s website.
Democratic Mayor Nicole Roberts of Pennsauken has not yet responded to inquiries from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
In a letter sent in June to Democratic Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, Dhillon indicated that the DOJ is probing allegations concerning the Philadelphia Police Department’s administration and revocation of permits under the Police Pattern or Practice Act. Additionally, in September, the DOJ filed a lawsuit against San Jose, California, asserting that the fees for concealed carry permits were excessively high, thereby violating the Second Amendment rights of residents.
Earlier in August, the Second Amendment Section of the Civil Rights Division reached a settlement in a lawsuit against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, which accused the department of a “pattern or practice” of violating Second Amendment rights due to unreasonable processing delays for concealed carry weapon applications.
In the Supreme Court’s ruling in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen, Justice Clarence Thomas cautioned that even jurisdictions with “shall issue” policies could face legal challenges.
“Because any permitting scheme has the potential for abuse, we do not dismiss constitutional challenges to shall-issue systems, particularly where excessive wait times for processing applications or high fees could deny average citizens their right to carry publicly,” Thomas noted in a footnote of the opinion released in June 2022.
