diff --git a/application/palemoon/components/preferences/permissions.js b/application/palemoon/components/preferences/permissions.js
index 195d47a2f2..0bae7fc8d6 100644
--- a/application/palemoon/components/preferences/permissions.js
+++ b/application/palemoon/components/preferences/permissions.js
@@ -233,8 +233,20 @@ var gPermissionManager = {
     var urlLabel = document.getElementById("urlLabel");
     urlLabel.hidden = !urlFieldVisible;
 
-    var os = Components.classes["@mozilla.org/observer-service;1"]
-                       .getService(Components.interfaces.nsIObserverService);
+    let treecols = document.getElementsByTagName("treecols")[0];
+    treecols.addEventListener("click", event => {
+      if (event.target.nodeName != "treecol" || event.button != 0) {
+        return;
+      }
+
+      let sortField = event.target.getAttribute("data-field-name");
+      if (!sortField) {
+        return;
+      }
+
+      gPermissionManager.onPermissionSort(sortField);
+    });
+
     Services.obs.notifyObservers(null, NOTIFICATION_FLUSH_PERMISSIONS, this._type);
     Services.obs.addObserver(this, "perm-changed", false);
 
diff --git a/application/palemoon/components/preferences/permissions.xul b/application/palemoon/components/preferences/permissions.xul
index 8f24c89462..ebd7242fb6 100644
--- a/application/palemoon/components/preferences/permissions.xul
+++ b/application/palemoon/components/preferences/permissions.xul
@@ -54,10 +54,10 @@
           onselect="gPermissionManager.onPermissionSelected();">
       <treecols>
         <treecol id="siteCol" label="&treehead.sitename.label;" flex="3"
-                onclick="gPermissionManager.onPermissionSort('rawHost');" persist="width"/>
+                 data-field-name="rawHost" persist="width"/>
         <splitter class="tree-splitter"/>
         <treecol id="statusCol" label="&treehead.status.label;" flex="1"
-                onclick="gPermissionManager.onPermissionSort('capability');" persist="width"/>
+                 data-field-name="capability" persist="width"/>
       </treecols>
       <treechildren/>
     </tree>