I wish the Trump administration would be more consistent in pro-RKBA moves like this.<\/p>\n
DOJ Sues LA Sheriff Over Gun Permit Delays, Says 2A Violation Scope \u2018Staggering\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n The Department of Justice on Tuesday filed a\u00a0federal lawsuit<\/a>\u00a0against the Los Angeles County Sheriff\u2019s Department, alleging deliberate foot-dragging by the department in processing applications for California concealed carry licenses.<\/p>\n If this is the first high-profile move fulfilling the mission of the DOJ\u2019s \u201cSecond Amendment Enforcement Task Force\u201d announced by Attorney General Pam Bondi in April, it\u2019s a major offensive. The nine-page federal complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, does not mince words.<\/p>\n \u201cThe scope of this constitutional violation is staggering,\u201d the complaint says. \u201cBetween January 2024 and March 2025, Defendants received 3,982 applications for new concealed carry licenses. Of these, they approved exactly two\u2014a 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.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n The complaint, submitted by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, Acting U.S. Attorney Bilal A. Essayli for the Central District of California and other DOJ officials in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles, declares, \u201cThe mechanics of this obstruction are equally damning. Defendants force applicants to wait an average of 281 days\u2014over nine months\u2014just to begin processing their applications, with some waiting as long as 1,030 days (nearly three years). The median delay is 372 days. These delays far exceed California\u2019s own statutory requirement that licensing authorities provide initial determinations within 90 days, demonstrating Defendants\u2019 flagrant disregard for both state law and constitutional obligations.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The lawsuit also offers another embarrassing detail.<\/p>\n \u201cAs of May 2025,\u201d the complaint states, \u201capproximately 2,768 applications for new licenses remain pending, with interviews scheduled as late as November 2026\u2014more than two years after some applications were first submitted. Numerous applicants simply gave up and withdrew their applications, often after waiting months in Defendants\u2019 deliberately stalled process. These are not abstract statistics; they represent thousands of law-abiding citizens who have been stripped of their constitutional right to self-defense outside their homes.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Back in April when Bondi\u00a0announced the 2A Enforcement Task Force<\/a>, she noted in a prepared statement, \u201cFor too long, the Second Amendment, which establishes the fundamental individual right of Americans to keep and bear arms, has been treated like a second-class right. No more. It is the policy of this Department of Justice to use its full might to protect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n According to the DOJ lawsuit, \u201cThe Supreme Court\u2019s decision in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen, 597 U.S. 1, 10 (2022), made clear that \u2018the Second and Fourteenth Amendments protect an individual\u2019s right to carry a handgun for self-defense outside the home.\u2019 Yet Defendants have constructed an administrative labyrinth designed to frustrate and ultimately deny this fundamental right to virtually all who seek to exercise it.\u201d<\/p>\n Reaction was swift from the\u00a0Second Amendment Foundation<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0California Rifle & Pistol Association<\/a>, which, along with Gun Owners of America. Gun Owners Foundation and Gun Owners of California,\u00a0earlier filed a lawsuit<\/a>\u00a0against the Sheriff\u2019s Department on the same issue.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThere is no doubt the DOJ\u2019s lawsuit is a shot across the bow letting everyone know the federal government will not tolerate infringements on the Second Amendment rights of Americans,\u201d said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb. \u201cIt\u2019s also no surprise this case was filed in California as the state is one of the worst for abusing the constitutional rights of its citizens. SAF has numerous ongoing lawsuits in California, and we will continue to fight to ensure the right to keep and bear arms isn\u2019t relegated to a second-class right.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a landmark lawsuit in that it\u2019s the first time the Department of Justice has ever filed a case in support of gun owners,\u201d added SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut. \u201cWe are thrilled to see the federal government step up and defend the Second Amendment rights of citizens and hope this pattern continues around the country.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCRPA and our allies blazed a trail over the past three years, going county-by-county across California to ensure\u00a0Bruen<\/em>-compliant CCW processes,\u201d noted CRPA President & General Counsel Chuck Michel. \u201cStubborn jurisdictions, such as Los Angeles, dug in their heels with delays, fees, and new requirements to keep lawful citizens from securing CCW\u2019s.\u00a0 We are thrilled that the Trump Administration finds this abuse as egregious as we do.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n This lawsuit definitely signals that Bondi was serious in her April announcement, and it might also serve as a warning to other jurisdictions with the same policy of delay.<\/p>\nNamed as defendants are the Los Angeles County Sheriff\u2019s Department and Sheriff Robert Luna, in his official capacity. The department did not immediately offer a response.<\/em><\/h4>\n