{"id":2612566,"date":"2026-06-09T16:49:58","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T20:49:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-opens-investigation-into-philadelphia-police-over-gun-rights\/"},"modified":"2026-06-09T16:53:48","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T20:53:48","slug":"doj-opens-investigation-into-philadelphia-police-over-gun-rights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-opens-investigation-into-philadelphia-police-over-gun-rights\/","title":{"rendered":"DOJ opens investigation into Philadelphia police over gun rights"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdoj-opens-investigation-into-philadelphia-police-over-gun-rights%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2612566&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The U.S.Department of Justice\u2019s Civil Rights Division has launched an investigation into the Philadelphia Police Department\u2019s handling of concealed-carry firearm permits. The DOJ alleges that the department improperly revokes permits by using a discretionary \u201cgood cause\u201d standard, and it will review the city\u2019s policies and enforcement under Pennsylvania\u2019s Uniform Firearms Act.<\/p>\n<p>In a letter to Mayor Cherelle Parker, federal investigators said thay are checking whether these practices violate the Second and Fourteenth Amendments-particularly the claim that officials cannot rely on vague, personal discretion when issuing or revoking gun licenses. The DOJ noted relevant Supreme Court rulings recognizing individual <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-president-trump-gives-pardons-to-73-individuals-and-commutes-another-70-sentences-steve-bannon-is-included\/\" title=\"BREAKING: President Trump Gives Pardons to 73 Individuals and Commutes Another 70 Sentences \u2013 Steve Bannon Is Included\">gun rights<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >limiting overly broad discretionary denials<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The investigation will include interviews with city and police officials and others involved with the process, and the DOJ emphasized it has made no findings yet. The mayor\u2019s office and police department did not respond to requests for comment.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-justice\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"438\">Department of Justice <\/a>has opened an investigation into the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/philadelphia\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"901\">Philadelphia<\/a> Police Department over allegations that it improperly revoked permits to carry <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/firearms\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"194\">firearms<\/a> by relying on a discretionary \u201cgood cause\u201d standard.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The inquiry, announced Tuesday by the Justice Department\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/civil-rights\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"415\">Civil Rights <\/a>Division, will examine the department\u2019s policies and practices for issuing and revoking licenses to carry firearms, as well as its enforcement of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pennsylvania\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"629\">Pennsylvania\u2019s<\/a> Uniform Firearms Act.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4600390\/naval-drone-rescues-pilots-helicopter-crash-strait-of-hormuz\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>US naval drone rescued two pilots after helicopter crash near Strait of Hormuz<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4599594\/us-list-companies-aiding-chinese-military\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Pentagon publishes annual list of companies working in US aiding Chinese military<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4599218\/pentagon-religious-classification-backlash-mormon-senators\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Pentagon updates religious classification list after sparking criticism from Utah\u2019s Mormon senators<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI have directed the Civil Rights Division, through our Second Amendment Section, to defend law-abiding citizens from local authorities who infringe the right to safely carry legal firearms,\u201d Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/justice-department-opens-investigation-philadelphia-police-departments-allegedly\">said<\/a> in a statement. \u201cLaw-abiding Americans, regardless of where they live, should not have to worry that their city will revoke their means of self-defense.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to a notice <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/crt\/media\/1444851\/dl\">letter<\/a> sent to Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, investigators will assess whether the department\u2019s practices comply with the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/second-amendment\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1043\">Second<\/a> and Fourteenth Amendments. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt is a violation of the Second Amendment for government officials to use vague, personal discretion when determining whether to issue or revoke permits to carry firearms,\u201d the DOJ said. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Justice Department emphasized that it has not reached any conclusions and will review all relevant information, including steps city officials have taken to ensure compliance with federal law and the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/constitution\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"424\">Constitution<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The investigation stems from allegations that Philadelphia police use a subjective standard to revoke firearm permits, possibly infringing on the rights of lawful gun owners. The Justice Department pointed to two major Supreme Court rulings on gun rights: the 2008 decision in <em>District of Columbia v. Heller<\/em>, which recognized an individual\u2019s right to possess firearms for lawful purposes, and a 2022 ruling that limited officials\u2019 ability to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-ruling-means-nycs-restrictions-on-gun-licensing-are-unconstitutional-federal-judge\/\" title=\"NYC&#039;s gun licensing restrictions deemed unconstitutional by Supreme Court.\">deny firearm licenses based<\/a> on broad discretionary judgments.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/columnists\/4596583\/qintel-pittsburgh-cyber-intelligence\/\">SALENA ZITO: QINTEL PUTS PITTSBURGH ON THE MAP FOR CYBER INTELLIGENCE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Federal investigators said they plan to interview city and police officials, as well as individuals who have interacted with the department, while seeking to minimize disruptions to police operations.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Philadelphia Police Department and the mayor\u2019s office did not respond to requests for comments. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DOJ investigates Philadelphia over firearm permit revocations using \u201cgood cause.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4195,"featured_media":2612567,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP24039754673890.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[7076,5522,39788],"class_list":["post-2612566","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-doj","tag-philadelphia","tag-police-investigation"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP24039754673890.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2612566","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4195"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2612566"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2612566\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2612570,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2612566\/revisions\/2612570"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2612567"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2612566"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2612566"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2612566"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}