DOJ Launches Investigation into Philly Police Over 'Arbitrary' Permit-to-Carry Cancellations

On June 9, 2026, President Trump’s Department of Justice launched an investigation into Philadelphia Police over the possible reliance upon “vague, personal discretion” in cancelling some permits for concealed carry.

Harmeet Dhillon, the Assistant Attorney General for the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, observed, “The police can’t revoke a concealed carry permit based on arbitrary decisions of licensing officials. Today, I directed [the Civil Rights Division’s] 2A Section to investigate the Philadelphia Police Department’s practice of revoking the CCWs of those lawfully carrying firearms in public.”

The DOJ subsequently posted an announcement which said, in part, “Today, the Justice Department opened an investigation to determine whether Philadelphia Police use a vague ‘good cause’ standard to cancel permits to carry legal firearms.”

Further into the announcement, the DOJ noted:

It 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. In 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court, in its landmark decision District of Columbia v. Heller, held that the Second Amendment protects the right of law-abiding citizens to possess weapons that are in common use for lawful purposes. In 2022, the Supreme Court held, in another case, that permitting officials may not base licensing decisions merely on their personal discretion. Here, it is alleged that Philadelphia Police use just such a discretionary standard to improperly limit Second Amendment rights.

The DOJ sent a letter, dated June 9, 2026, to Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker (D), copied to Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel, informing them that the investigation is underway.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He holds a PhD in Military History with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. He enjoys reading Philosophy and novels by Jack Carr and Nelson DeMille. He is a lever action man in an AR-15 world. Follow him on X: @awrhawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.