The Department of Justice announced an investigation into the Philadelphia Police Department’s handling of concealed carry permit cancellations, focusing on whether the city police rely on vague and subjective criteria to revoke licenses. This inquiry addresses concerns that permits are being revoked based on arbitrary decisions rather than clear legal standards.
Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, highlighted that government officials cannot rescind concealed carry permits through personal discretion unsupported by objective grounds. The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division was directed to examine whether Philadelphia Police have improperly applied a so-called “good cause” standard in a way that infringes on lawful gun owners’ rights.
The investigation comes amid references to key Supreme Court rulings. The 2008 decision in District of Columbia v. Heller affirmed the constitutional protection of firearm possession for law-abiding citizens. More recently, a 2022 ruling clarified that permit issuers cannot base firearm licensing decisions solely on individual discretion. The DOJ alleges that Philadelphia authorities might be violating these precedents by revoking permits without transparent or consistent criteria.
On the same day the probe was announced, the DOJ sent an official letter to Philadelphia’s Mayor Cherelle Parker and Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel, notifying them of the investigation. The letter emphasizes the legal implications should the police continue to use a vague “good cause” justification to deny or revoke carry permits.