Santa Clara County gun owners will have to pay more for concealed carry weapons licenses — and threats of lawsuits are already rolling in.
The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved Sheriff Bob Jonsen’s proposal to hike the fees for new civilian licenses from $662 to $976. The standard renewal required every two years would go up from $187 to $447. Fees would not change for judges or law enforcement personnel.
The increases — applicable to residents of Cupertino, Los Altos Hills, Saratoga and the county’s unincorporated neighborhoods — would bring county fees more in line with other cities, such as Morgan Hill, which charges $945 for new licenses. San Jose charges $1,328.
Additional expenses come with applying, such as state-required fingerprinting and psychological evaluations. Applicants pay that separately.
Jonsen’s office said the changes are necessary to recover the costs of expanded application vetting requirements after the passage of Senate Bill 2, which toughens the approval process and background checks. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the law after a 2022 Supreme Court ruling transformed American gun rights by recognizing the right to carry a loaded gun in public for self-defense.
“The sheriff’s office is seeking to raise fees to cover the increased cost of processing each (concealed carry weapon) application,” Sheriff Sgt. Russell Davis told San José Spotlight. “The increase in cost is consistent with Senate Bill 2, which was signed into law earlier this year by the governor and ensures an appropriate investigation, including additional background checks, verifications and interviews.”
Supervisors on Tuesday said they agree with the need to recoup the expanded costs. They directed the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office to report back as late as a year-and-a-half — after the fee increase takes effect — to evaluate whether the increases are necessary or leading to excess revenue. They also asked for the demographics of residents requesting and obtaining the licenses to measure potential inequity.
“I do see that the jump is very significant, and even though it’s lower than (the fee in) San Jose, San Jose is very high,” Supervisor Otto Lee, who requested the report-back, said at the meeting.
His request came after critics — including the NAACP San Jose/Silicon Valley — warned the move would disproportionately impact people with fewer means.
“I think the benefit of having an analysis and report-back is threefold — it means we wont be overcharging people, it means we won’t be undercharging people, and makes it less likely we’re going to get sued,” Supervisor Joe Simitian said at the meeting.
Gun rights advocates said Santa Clara County is asking for a lawsuit.
“Santa Clara County should be ashamed of itself. The right to carry is a constitutional right, and there is no way this sort of exorbitant fee would be acceptable if applied to any other right, such as the right to vote,” C.D. Michel, president of the California Rifle and Association, told San José Spotlight. “We have already sued the city of La Verne over this issue and litigation is ongoing. We will consider additional lawsuits against Santa Clara and any other jurisdiction that attempts to price Californians out of their rights.”
The lawsuit against La Verne in Southern California alleges the city’s “grossly excessive” fees are unconstitutional for charging as much as $1,000 for a concealed carry permit.
The outcome of the lawsuit could determine whether gun rights groups come after Santa Clara County, according to Sam Paredes, executive director of Gun Owners of California, who called Jonsen’s proposal “out of this world.”
“The county will be sued and they will lose,” Paredes told San José Spotlight. “It’s going to be very expensive for them.”
Paredes argues the cost should be borne by the county because it’s a service in support of residents’ constitutional rights.
“It should not be overly expensive or burdensome,” he said. “It’s pricing the vast majority of people out of the ability to get a license, and certainly lower income people won’t be able to afford one and protect themselves. It’s pretty doggone discriminatory.”
Santa Clara County’s concealed carry permitting process has been mired in scandal — fueling the civil bribery conviction of former Sheriff Laurie Smith, who jurors found guilty of selectively awarding permits to supporters and friends in exchange for gifts and campaign donations.
Jonsen, Smith’s successor, has reported a 774% increase in permit approvals since the previous administration, between the years 2022 and 2023. He also reported a more recent 132% increase in approvals between 2023 and 2024. There are currently 1,725 applications in progress, with 1,126 interviews completed — and 690 permits approved — since 2022.
Residents have to be 21 years or older to carry a permit.
Margaret Petros, executive director of crime victims advocacy group Mothers Against Murder, said she’s neutral on the fee increase proposal, but that constitutional rights must be respected.
“As long as policies and procedures are in place that protect our communities — and as long as there’s transparency around who is getting these permits, which is important for public safety — then someone’s right to have a license is not as much of a concern for me as illegal ghost guns,” Petros told San José Spotlight.
Contact Brandon Pho at [email protected] or @brandonphooo on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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