California has some of the strictest gun laws—and among the fewest gun deaths per capita—in the nation. But some gun owners in the South Bay aren’t pleased with the news that the extra security will soon cost them more.
The Morgan Hill City Council voted unanimously this week to approve concealed carry weapon renewal fees that will hike the cost to several times higher than those of nearby jurisdictions. While city staff argued that this simply covered the cost of processing the applications, some residents raised concerns that the fees limited access to their Second Amendment rights.
“It’s the people’s right to bear arms,” said councilmember Gino Borgioli. “We want to make it as reasonable as possible for our citizens to do a (concealed weapon permit).”
The new fee comes a year and a half after the city first approved a plan to process concealed carry weapon applications in April 2023. In anticipation of renewals, which take place every two years, the city proposed a $540 dollar fee meant to cover the cost of labor for the police officers involved in processing renewal applications.
The new rate dwarfs nearby jurisdictions—it is more than double that of Santa Clara County, which charges $187 for renewal, and more than seven times that of Monterey County at $77. The city of San Jose charges a mere $25 for renewal, though they charge $1328 for an initial application, nearly $400 more than Morgan Hill.
“I mean, that’s a big, big difference,” said Morgan Hill resident Kyle Merritt of the new fee. He noted that the renewal process also involves an eight-hour training which can cost hundreds of dollars. “It is… cost prohibitive for a constitutional right.”
City staff noted, however, that these other jurisdictions are essentially helping foot the bill for the renewals within their borders by not charging for the full cost of processing.
Additionally, Councilmember Rene Spring argued residents always have the option to go to the Sheriff’s office. “I don’t think we should ask the huge majority of citizens who will never make use of these permits … to subsidize those who request them,” said Spring. “If some think the fees of the city of Morgan Hill are too high, you’re welcome to go somewhere else (for a permit).”
However, according to Deputy Felicia Segura of Santa Clara County Sheriff’s office, applicants who had initially applied through Morgan Hill Police Department would not be able to renew directly with the county. Instead, they would have to begin a brand new permit application under the county, which involves an in-person interview, a psychological evaluation, fingerprinting, and a 16-hour training.
Since the city began processing concealed carry applications in April 2023, 24 have been approved, with four more currently being processed and four others rejected.
“The policy that we adopted seems to be working,” said city attorney Donald Larkin. “People who feel the need to have a concealed carry permit are getting their permits.”
The fee comes after the passage of California’s SB 2 last year, which allowed jurisdictions to raise prices for fees to match the cost of labor to process them, said Larkin. Given this, Larkin says he expects other nearby municipalities to follow suit.
“I do think that it is a trend. We were one of the first cities, at least in our local area, to update our policies,” said Larkin. “My expectation is that other cities will be revisiting their fees.”
However, commander Andres Rosas of the Monterey County Sheriff’s office said that they are not planning on raising fees. “Currently that’s something we’re not discussing.”
A spokesperson for the San Jose Police Department stated over email that all of their permits are charged based on the amount of time it takes for their employees to process the permits, causing their fees to go up last year.
Santa Clara County Sheriff’s office could not confirm or deny any plans to change fees by the time of publication.