LOS ANGELES, CA – The U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division filed a landmark lawsuit today against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, alleging a systemic violation of the Second Amendment through prolonged delays in issuing concealed carry weapon (CCW) permits to law-abiding citizens.
This is the first affirmative Second Amendment lawsuit brought by the Justice Department. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, follows a civil rights investigation launched on March 27, 2025, in response to widespread complaints of unreasonable CCW permitting delays.
According to the complaint, the Civil Rights Division analyzed records from more than 8,000 CCW applications and found that only two had been approved during the review period. The Department alleges that some applicants were forced to wait up to two years for interviews following submission of completed applications—far beyond California’s statutory deadlines and in violation of constitutional protections.
“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.”
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon added, “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.”
“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 lawsuit seeks injunctive relief to remedy the Sheriff’s Department’s alleged failure to process CCW applications in a timely and lawful manner.
The investigation was conducted by attorneys from the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. Individuals who have not received a reply or decision on a concealed carry permit application within four months may contact the DOJ at Community.2ndAmendmentCA@usdoj.gov.
