Wire report

Justice Department Sues San Jose for Unconstitutional $1600 Firearm Permit Fee

Today, the Justice Department filed suit against the City of San Jose, California, and the San Jose Police Department for charging private individuals unreasonable fees to exercise their Second Amendment right to lawfully carry a firearm. At nearly $1,600 per license, the City’s application fee to carry a firearm is the highest in the nation. Indeed, San Jose’s fee towers over those imposed by the country’s biggest cities. New York, Washington, D.C., Boston, and Chicago all charge a small fraction of San Jose’s fee. The Supreme Court has held that “exorbitant fees” such as San Jose’s violate the Second Amendment because they deny ordinary citizens their right to carry firearms for self-defense. 

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Why it mattersBay Area

Today, the Justice Department filed suit against the City of San Jose, California, and the San Jose Police Department for charging private individuals unreasonable fees to exercise their Second Amendment right to lawfully carry a firearm. At nearly $1,600 per license, the City’s application fee to carry a firearm is the highest in the nation. Indeed, San Jose’s fee towers over those imposed by the country’s biggest cities. New York, Washington, D.C., Boston, and Chicago all charge a small fraction of San Jose’s fee. The Supreme Court has held that “exorbitant fees” such as San Jose’s violate the Second Amendment because they deny ordinary citizens their right to carry firearms for self-defense. 

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What happened

According to U.S. Department of Justice’s source item, Justice Department Sues San Jose for Unconstitutional $1600 Firearm Permit Fee, Today, the Justice Department filed suit against the City of San Jose, California, and the San Jose Police Department for charging private individuals unreasonable fees to exercise their Second Amendment right to lawfully carry a firearm. At nearly $1,600 per license, the City’s application fee to carry a firearm is the highest in the nation. Indeed, San Jose’s fee towers over those imposed by the country’s biggest cities. New York, Washington, D.C., Boston, and Chicago all charge a small fraction of San Jose’s fee. The Supreme Court has held that “exorbitant fees” such as San Jose’s violate the Second Amendment because they deny ordinary citizens their right to carry firearms for self-defense. 

Context

The development sits in VINI’s Bay Area file for local readers tracking public services, civic decisions, transportation, housing, safety, and community life across the Bay Area. The original report is linked so readers can check the source account, follow later updates, and compare new coverage against the first published record. The source item is dated 2026-09-16T12:00:00+00:00.

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Source

Primary source: Justice Department Sues San Jose for Unconstitutional $1600 Firearm Permit Fee via U.S. Department of Justice. VINI cites and links the source; it does not reproduce the publisher’s full article text without rights clearance.

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