DOJ Opens Investigation Into Philly Police Gun Permit Revocations

DOJ Opens Civil Rights Investigation Into Philadelphia Police Gun Permit Revocations

The U.S. Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the Philadelphia Police Department over allegations that it has been improperly revoking permits for residents to legally carry firearms, according to a Justice Department announcement released Tuesday.

At the center of the probe is the department’s reported use of a vague “good cause” standard to cancel firearm carry permits. Federal officials say the investigation will examine whether that standard gives local authorities unconstitutional discretion in decisions that affect residents’ Second Amendment rights.

The Justice Department said the inquiry is focused specifically on Philadelphia Police’s permitting system and emphasized that the investigation does not endorse armed interference with law enforcement.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said the department’s Second Amendment Section has been directed to protect “law-abiding citizens” from local government actions that may unlawfully restrict the right to carry legal firearms.

In its statement, the department pointed to major Supreme Court rulings that have shaped modern Second Amendment law. It cited the 2008 District of Columbia v. Heller decision, which recognized an individual right to possess firearms for lawful purposes, and a 2022 ruling that said licensing officials cannot rely solely on personal discretion when approving or denying permits.

Federal officials argue that if Philadelphia Police are revoking permits based on an imprecise or subjective standard, that could amount to a constitutional violation.

The announcement marks a significant federal review of local firearms permitting practices in one of the nation’s largest cities and could carry broader implications for how municipalities interpret and enforce gun licensing rules going forward.

DOJ Opens Civil Rights Investigation Into Philadelphia Police Gun Permit Revocations was originally published on rnbphilly.com