DOJ Civil Rights Division Opens Investigation Into Middletown and Waterbury Police Over Carry Permit Delays and Denials

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MIDDLETOWN, CT — The Justice Department opened an investigation on Thursday, Oct. 22, into whether Middletown and Waterbury, Connecticut, unnecessarily delay issuing firearm permits to their residents. According to the Department’s press release, the investigation will focus on the permitting systems run by the Middletown and Waterbury police departments.

The Justice Department says the two departments “may be unreasonably denying otherwise qualified applicants a CCW permit and forcing them to undergo a potentially years-long appeal process to exercise this fundamental right.” No court is involved at this stage, and the Department has announced no findings. Everything here about how the two departments handle permits rests on the Justice Department’s own description in its announcement.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon, who heads the Department’s Civil Rights Division, framed the investigation around equal access to carry.

“All law-abiding Americans have a constitutional right to bear arms for self‑defense,” Dhillon said. “This right is not a luxury reserved for a privileged few, but a fundamental liberty for all, including the residents of Middletown and Waterbury, Connecticut.”

The release leans on New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen, the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision recognizing that the right to keep and bear arms applies with equal force inside and outside the home. According to the Department, the Court in Bruen warned against “lengthy wait times in processing license applications” that effectively “deny ordinary citizens their right to public carry.” In plain terms, a permit system can block carry without ever issuing a formal no, simply by taking too long.

The case sits with the Civil Rights Division’s Second Amendment Section. The Department describes it as the unit that enforces the Second Amendment the same way the division handles other constitutional rights. The release invites anyone who believes their right to keep and bear arms is being infringed to file a complaint through the Second Amendment Section’s online portal.

More from USA Carry:

• DOJ Civil Rights Division Opens Second Amendment Investigation Into Pennsauken, NJ Police Over Gun Permit Delays
• DOJ Files Second Colorado Lawsuit in 24 Hours, Targets State’s 15-Round Magazine Ban as Civil Rights Violation
• DOJ Sues City of Denver Over Assault Weapons Ban, Calls Local Ordinance a Civil Rights Violation Under Second Amendment
• DOJ Sues LA County Sheriff Over Alleged CCW “Slow-Walk,” After 3,982 Applications Yield Just 2 Approvals
• DOJ to Launch Second Amendment Rights Office on Dec. 4th

The phrase in the release that matters most to applicants in these two cities is “potentially years-long.” If the Department’s description holds up, a qualified resident who gets denied locally could spend years unable to carry legally while an appeal works its way through. Training and the right mindset still matter in that window. They just cannot be carried in a holster without the permit. If you are working through the process yourself, my guide to Connecticut concealed carry laws and permit information covers the state’s requirements.

I will continue tracking the Middletown and Waterbury investigations and will report what the Justice Department finds.

Read the original story: DOJ Civil Rights Division Opens Investigation Into Middletown and Waterbury Police Over Carry Permit Delays and Denials