City Of Covina Eliminates Illegal Ccw Permit Fee

[Greg-Dawg®]

Just got this via email today...

CITY OF COVINA ELIMINATES ILLEGAL CCW PERMIT FEE IN RESPONSE TO NRA/CRPA DEMAND

The City of Covina has recognized that the $2,420 "fee" it was charging to apply for a California concealed weapons permit (CCW) is illegal, and has reduced the fee to within the legal limit of a few hundred dollars.

Covina has a policy disfavoring the issuance of CCW permits in general. The higher fee had the likely intentional effect of eliminating CCW permit applications. Not a single person was issued a CCW permit under the City's exorbitant $2,420 "fee" requirement.

National Rifle Association ("NRA") grassroots activists brought the illegal fee to the NRA's attention. Lawyers for the NRA and California Rifle & Pistol Association (CRPA) then sent out a cease and desist pre-litigation demand letter to the City demanding that the City lower the illegal fee. Through public records requests and an investigation into the City's practices, the lawyers discovered that the City ignored the statutory limitations on CCW fees that can be imposed despite clearly noted warnings regarding statutory fee caps in a Fee Study submitted to City officials before the illegal fee was imposed. The lawyers also discovered that the nearly 1000% increase in the fee was not put before the public for comment, as required under the Brown Act, and that the City was using an outdated application form.

In light of the information brought to the City's attention by the attorneys the City changed its policies. Firearm owners in Covina seeking a CCW can now only be charged maximum fees totaling around $400 to get through the entire process. The initial fees to start the process are less. Covina has also abandoned its out-of-date CCW application, and is now basing their new policy and application on the form developed by the California Department of Justice.

For City of Covina residents, the new CCW procedures, application, and fee structure are available by contacting Sergeant Trevor Gaumer from the City of Covina Police Department at (626) 858-4461.

Thoughts?

[sealbeach]

Good change. I knew one of the RSO's at Burro tried to apply, but that fee was prohibitive, no way could he afford to pay that, and then maybe get denied anyway.

[tango-52]

Cool! I posted it on Calguns to spread the word.

[RomanDad]

Thats an easy one....

[Spicy McHaggis]

They can still just deny later if they don't want to issue any. Sounds like they just did this to avoid a lawsuit.