Residents hoping to obtain a Concealed Carry Weapon (CCW) license in Long Beach will have to pay some of the highest fees in LA County, after the city council approved the new fees Tuesday night.
A CCW license allows residents to carry a “pistol, revolver or other firearms capable of being concealed on the person,” according to staff reports. Fees will be the same for standard (two-year) and judicial (three-year) licenses, while reserve officer licenses (four-year) will be waived by the city since they are obtained for volunteer positions.
Though the city gets a portion of the $1,108.84 total fee, it must cover $395.24 of each application which includes third-party vendor costs.
Long Beach Chief of Police Wally Hebeish presented the proposed fees to the council, which includes a $150 psychological evaluation needed to obtain a CCW license. Councilmember Mary Zendejas suggested a $215.34 increase to the final fee which allows someone to obtain a license, saying “if someone wants a gun they should be able to pay for it at a higher cost.”
Most of the council supported the increase since it allows Long Beach to obtain the highest possible amount of money from licenses. With the approved increase, the city will get $495.74 from each license issued.
The full list of approved fees include:
- Online application and initial fee: $70.10
- Background investigation: $93 (with rolling fees from vendor)
- Psychological evaluation: $150
- Firearm training: $300
- Issuance fee and license: $425.64
The set fees are expected to be in place by mid-April 2023. Applicants who do not pass the psychological evaluation the first time will not be issued a CCW and will not be refunded for the fees incurred.
Councilmember Al Austin said he was concerned about how the increased fees may affect those who need to obtain a CCW license for their job, such as private security officers.
“When we talk about adding costs, particularly for vocational reasons, that may be a slippery slope. I don’t want to put anyone in a position where they can’t do the work they are required to do,” Austin said.”We’re not talking about tens of thousands of residents who are going to be impacted here, it’s going to be a handful of people.”
Vice Mayor Cindy Allen responded by saying that usually employers will cover the cost of obtaining a CCW license for their employees.
Councilmember Daryl Supernaw argued that the initial fee of $350 was already “exorbitant” and said he could understand why “the average person” would consider the increased fees “out of line.” He requested the Master Fee and Charges Schedule to label the increase as “cost recovery,” since it will be going back into the city’s pockets.
CCW licenses were issued by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department until August 2022, when the county discontinued the program for the 44 agencies it was serving. Issuing CCW licenses is now a municipal duty. Since November 2022, Long Beach has been searching for a third-party to help process licenses and conduct analyses on the amount of staff work it will take to complete the tasks.
In order to receive a CCW license, the applicant must be a Long Beach resident, at least 21 years old, be free of criminal convictions, pass the psychological eval, provide proof of ownership and register the firearm with the Department of Justice, complete firearm training, pay fees and be of “good moral character.”
The chief of police may request an additional interview following the psychological evaluation, though Hebeish did not clarify what would make another interview necessary.
Councilwoman Megan Kerr asked if residents with a CCW license are required to store their weapons safely in their homes. Hebeish replied that under state mandates, anyone in possession of a firearm must store them safely.
“We’re not going to go into somebody’s home to ensure that, but if something happens that’s something we would investigate,” Hebeish said. Once someone is convicted of a criminal charge, such as unsafe possession of a firearm, their CCW license would be rescinded, he said.
The motion also includes a suggestion to advocate with the state of California to allow cities to raise CCW renewal fees, which is currently capped at $25. The motion passed 7-1, with Supernaw being the only vote against.
Sounds unconstitutional!!
It will probably be struck down.
They need to be sued for this. They will do anything possible to take your rights away.
This will only hurt the low income and POC if they want to legally carry in LB. It is truly sad that people who need it the most will ne having the most hard ships. This is California’s history. We use to legally open carry until the black panthers started to do it, now pay over a grand to conceal carry. Hmmmm, thanks Long Beach council to prove White Privilege is strong here.
Let me see if I understand this correctly. The Constitution of the United States of America is the law of the land. In other words, it is the supreme law for all Americans, regardless of which states they live in. And in that document, we have what is known as unalienable rights (rights that can NEVER be taken away or given away). One guaranteed right states “A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” Therefore, no state or municipality has the right to infringe on this right. Going through the steps for a CCW license is certainly an infringement. Registering a gun with any government agency is an infringement, because it allows a belligerent government to know where to go to confiscate all weapons, if they so desire. And certainly, to have to pay any agency over and over again for the right to keep and bear arms is certainly an infringement, if not simply illegal. Why do we have to pay for our rights guaranteed to us by the Constitution of the United States of America? Finally, with the increased crime rate, with criminals arming themselves with any weapon they want, and we are limited, is this violating our right to be able to defend our families, ourselves, other people, and/or property? When will constitutional violations of our Bill of Rights end?
The Constitution does not stipulate that we have to pay for our constitutional rights. However, the Second Amendment states “the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” Anything that deters a person from being able to keep and bear arms is an infringement. Therefore, CCW permits are an infringement. Paying every two years for a constitutional right is an infringement. This is not about keep guns off the street, because criminals can carry any kind of gun they want, but the law-abiding American living in California has his/her right infringed for carrying a gun. With criminals getting a hand slap and sent back out on the street, we are all in more danger, but our right to bear arms for protection is being infringed, putting law-abiding citizens in danger.