SAF, Partners File Lawsuit Against Excessive CCW Fees, Psych Exams in Santa Clara

BELLEVUE, Wash. — Sept. 22, 2025 — The Second Modification Basis (SAF) and its companions have filed a brand new lawsuit difficult the Santa Clara County Sheriff Division’s exorbitant charges and mandated psychological examination related to making use of for a hid carry allow.

Becoming a member of SAF within the lawsuit are the California Rifle and Pistol Affiliation and several other people. In Clean v. Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Division, the lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of carry allow insurance policies and practices that cost extreme and burdensome charges to acquire a hid carry allow in Santa Clara.

“Charges this excessive for the applying of a easy allow can solely be in place for one cause – to maintain the peaceful residents of Santa Clara from exercising their Second Modification rights,” mentioned SAF Government Director Adam Kraut. “These charges quantity to nothing in need of a pay-to-play scheme whereby solely these with the means to afford the applying prices have the power to train their constitutional rights. Not solely is that this discriminatory, but it surely’s a transparent violation of the Second Modification.” 

As famous within the grievance, “By imposing such excessive licensing charges for a CCW allow utility and mandating psychological testing with out good trigger, Santa Clara County is merely substituting an unconstitutional wealth qualification for a corrupt political patronage scheme that has the impact of suppressing its residents’ Second Modification rights.”

“Past the excessive preliminary price of the applying payment, individuals are required to pay for a coaching course, psychological examination, and Stay Scan fingerprinting,” mentioned SAF founder and Government Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “All these charges add as much as round $2,000 or extra, making acquiring a hid carry allow out of attain for a big swath of the general public. It’s not a far stretch to see that this payment construction is solely one other solution to intentionally discourage folks from exercising their constitutional proper to bear arms.”

For extra info go to SAF.org.

The Second Modification Basis (saf.org) is the nation’s oldest and largest tax-exempt schooling, analysis, publishing and authorized motion group devoted to safeguarding and selling the elemental rights of people enshrined within the Second Modification of america Structure. SAF engages in aggressive authorized motion to make sure the ideas of armed self-defense, private liberty, and the possession of arms are defended, secured, and restored. Via public schooling initiatives, SAF teaches the significance of the Second Modification to advertise a society that values and workout routines the proper to maintain and bear arms.