The Civil Rights Division filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department due to their practice of infringing the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens seeking concealed carry weapons (CCW) permits.
On March 27, 2025, the Division initiated a Second Amendment investigation due to numerous complaints of unreasonable delays in CCW permitting decisions by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
After analysis of data and documents spanning over 8,000 CCW permit applications, the Division today filed suit seeking relief on behalf of law-abiding applicants.
ECF1!2!25_cv_09323 - USA v. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Dept-2 by scott.mcclallen
Between January 2024 and March 2025, defendants received 3,982 applications for new concealed carry licenses. Of these, they approved two—a mere 0.05% approval rate that cannot be explained by legitimate disqualifying factors alone.
"This is not bureaucratic inefficiency; it is systematic obstruction of constitutional rights," the lawsuit said.
“The Second Amendment protects the fundamental constitutional right of law-abiding citizens to bear arms,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Los Angeles County may not like that right, but the Constitution does not allow them to infringe upon it. This Department of Justice will continue to fight for the Second Amendment.”
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After Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon was sworn in to lead the Civil Rights Division, numerous complaints received by the Division revealed inexplicable delays well beyond California statutory requirements and in violation of the U.S. Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.
Almost two months after receiving notice of the Division’s investigation, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department provided data and documents that revealed only two approvals from over 8,000 applications, and that the Sheriff’s Department set out interviews to approve licenses as far as two years after receiving the completed application. The lawsuit is filed within the Federal Central District of California.
“The Second Amendment is not a second-class right,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This lawsuit seeks to stop Los Angeles County’s egregious pattern and practice of delaying law-abiding citizens from exercising their right to bear arms.”
This investigation was conducted by attorneys at the Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorneys within the Central District of California’s U.S. Attorney Office.
“Citizens living in high-crime areas cannot afford to wait to protect themselves with firearms while Los Angeles County dithers,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. “The right to bear arms is among the founding principles of our nation. It can and must be upheld.”
If you or someone you know has applied for a concealed carry permit in Los Angeles or any jurisdiction within the United States and have not received a reply or decision within four months after applying, please email Community.2ndAmendmentCA@usdoj.gov. The mailbox is monitored by attorneys assigned to protect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.
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