--- title: "DOJ Investigates CT Cities for Firearm Permit Delays" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/doj-investigates-ct-cities-for-firearm-permit-delays" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/doj-investigates-ct-cities-for-firearm-permit-delays" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/doj-investigates-ct-cities-for-firearm-permit-delays.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/doj-investigates-ct-cities-for-firearm-permit-delays" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-10-24T22:46:05.805Z" source_reported: "2026-10-23T21:51:40.405Z" updated: "2026-10-24T22:46:05.805Z" trust_score: 60 critic_score: 65 hype_score: 45 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-10-25T00:00:29.293494+00:00" --- # DOJ Investigates CT Cities for Firearm Permit Delays *Justice Department probes Middletown and Waterbury over alleged unnecessary delays in issuing gun permits.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 60 of 100, higher is better. The central claim is attributed to the DOJ, and two independent outlets published full reports. - Craft 65 of 100, higher is better. Two outlets provided full reports, quoting officials and local figures, while others offered digests. - Hype 45 of 100, lower is better. Headlines and digests use neutral language, but some mention 'Trump DOJ' which adds mild emphasis. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - The U.S. Justice Department is investigating Middletown and Waterbury, Connecticut, for alleged abuses in their firearm permit processes. - The investigation seeks to determine if local authorities are unnecessarily delaying or denying gun permits to residents. - Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon stated that law-abiding Americans have a constitutional right to bear arms for self-defense. - Waterbury's Mayor Paul Pernerewski confirmed his city will cooperate with the federal investigation. The U.S. Justice Department has initiated an investigation into the cities of Middletown and Waterbury, Connecticut, concerning alleged abuses in their firearm permit systems. The department stated its aim is to ascertain whether authorities are unnecessarily delaying or denying permits to residents. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon remarked that the right to bear arms for self-defense is a constitutional liberty for all law-abiding Americans. ## Disagreement on DOJ's focus U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal stated that the Justice Department should concentrate its efforts on investigating illegal firearms sales rather than examining police departments. Waterbury Mayor Paul Pernerewski, however, confirmed that his city will cooperate with the DOJ investigation. ## What the coverage left out None of the centre-rated reports mentioned any specific cost estimates associated with the investigation. The right-rated reports did not include comments from U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal or Waterbury Mayor Paul Pernerewski. ## Who covered it Shares of the 6 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 0% (0) - Centre: 50% (3) - Right: 50% (3) 1 of 7 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-10-25T00:00:29.293494+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 8 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-10-25T00:45:09.147Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left No separate framing summary. ### Centre - The centre-rated reports led with the U.S. Justice Department opening an investigation into Middletown and Waterbury for alleged firearm permit abuses. These reports detailed that the investigation's purpose is to determine if authorities are unnecessarily delaying or denying gun permits. They included a statement from Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon on the constitutional right to bear arms. The reports also noted U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal's view that the DOJ should focus on illegal firearms sales and quoted Waterbury Mayor Paul Pernerewski's confirmation of his city's cooperation with the investigation. The CT Mirror report noted that it was unclear why these specific cities were being targeted and mentioned the historical role of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division. ### Right - The right-rated reports highlighted that President Trump's Justice Department is investigating Middletown and Waterbury over claims of delaying firearm permits. These reports framed the investigation as a civil-rights probe into whether the cities unreasonably delay permits for qualified residents, thereby potentially violating Second Amendment rights. The reports included a statement from Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon regarding the constitutional right to bear arms. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - low: 2 - high: 1 - unknown: 1 - veryHigh: 3 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [WFSB](https://wfsb.com/2026/10/23/us-justice-department-opens-investigation-into-middletown-waterbury-police-alleged-firearm-permit-abuses) — U.S. Justice Department opens investigation into Middletown, Waterbury police for alleged firearm permit abuses - [Hartford Courant](https://courant.com/2026/10/23/federal-justice-department-investigating-gun-permitting-in-ct-towns-over-alleged-delays) — Justice Department investigating gun permitting in CT towns over alleged delays - [The CT Mirror](https://ctmirror.org/2026/10/23/doj-middletown-waterbury-gun-permit-investigation) — DOJ investigates Waterbury, Middletown for gun permitting delays - [The Center Square](https://thecentersquare.com/connecticut/article_68dc895d-e4df-4082-bc0f-e1b3bcbd71fd.html) — Department of Justice probes Connecticut towns over firearm waiting periods - [100% FED UP!](https://100percentfedup.com/trump-doj-opens-civil-rights-investigation-two-connecticut) — Trump DOJ Opens Civil-Rights Investigation Into Two Connecticut Cities Over Gun-Permit Delays - [WLTReport](https://wltreport.com/2026/10/23/trump-doj-connecticut-cities-gun-permit-delay-investigation) — Trump DOJ Opens Civil-Rights Investigation Into Two Connecticut Cities Over Gun-Permit Delays - [Hoodline](https://hoodline.com/2026/10/justice-department-probes-middletown-waterbury-over-gun-permit-delays) — DOJ Investigates Middletown, Waterbury CT Gun Permits ## Questions **What is the U.S. Justice Department investigating in Connecticut?** The U.S. Justice Department has opened an investigation into the cities of Middletown and Waterbury, Connecticut. The probe is looking into alleged abuses in their firearm permit processes, specifically whether authorities are unnecessarily delaying or denying permits to residents. **What is the stated purpose of the investigation?** The investigation aims to determine if local authorities in Middletown and Waterbury are unnecessarily delaying or denying firearm permits to law-abiding Americans. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon emphasized the constitutional right to bear arms for self-defense. **What has been the reaction from local officials and politicians?** Waterbury Mayor Paul Pernerewski has stated that his city will cooperate with the Justice Department's investigation. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, however, suggested the DOJ should focus on illegal firearms sales instead of investigating police departments. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/doj-investigates-ct-cities-for-firearm-permit-delays. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "DOJ Investigates CT Cities for Firearm Permit Delays", https://mediabias.news/politics/doj-investigates-ct-cities-for-firearm-permit-delays