Gun permit robbery?

OK, this may seem strange coming from us, but raising the state’s pistol permit fee from $70 to $300 is excessive.

What? The Day editorial page taking the side of gun rights advocates. And, no, hell didn’t freeze over.

The Second Amendment references the right “to keep and bear arms.” The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that this right extends to self-protection, independent of the other clause in that amendment, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State.”

But the court has also recognized that this right can be limited, otherwise folks could have tanks and shoulder-fired rocket launchers in their collections. Editorially, by backing the restrictions on semi-automatic weapons and large-capacity magazines passed by the Connecticut legislature in the wake of the mass shooting at a Newtown elementary school in 2012, we’ve differed with many gun-rights advocates as to where government should draw the limitation line.

The courts, by the way, have upheld the constitutionality of those sweeping gun control reforms approved in Connecticut in 2013.

However, this huge jump in permit fees proposed by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is another matter.

Gun owners applying for their initial fiveyear permit would see a jump from $140 to $370. Those facing a permit renewal would see it increase from $70 to $300, if the governor’s proposal wins adoption. The fee for mandatory background checks would increase from $50 to $75.

Such a spike in permit fees is akin to a “sin tax,” an assessment intended to discourage behavior. That is inappropriate in this case. It would be a particular hardship for lower income individuals who want to exercise their rights.

The administration’s primary motivation appears to be to raise more revenues. It estimates the fee increases will bring in $11.6 million annually.

It is fair for the state to assess fees to offset the cost of the permitting process. That process is more extensive and expensive because of the 2013 legislation. Demand is up, with new permits roughly doubling from 12,957 in 2010 to 25,399 last year.

So an increase in cost is reasonable, maybe as much as double. But the nearly 330 percent permit fee hike proposed by Malloy? That’s punitive, and unfair.