The U.S. Department of Justice filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD), alleging the agency violated residents’ Second Amendment rights by creating extensive delays in issuing concealed carry permits.
Filed in the Central District of California, the lawsuit claims that between December 2022 and March 2024, LASD approved only two permits out of more than 8,000 applications, with interviews scheduled up to two years in advance.
According to the DOJ, the department has “systematically denied thousands of law-abiding Californians their fundamental Second Amendment right to bear arms outside the home — not through outright refusal, but through a deliberate pattern of unconscionable delay that renders this constitutional right meaningless in practice.”
LASD Responds
In a statement, the LASD said it “respects the Second Amendment” and is “committed to addressing all applications fairly, promptly, and with a balanced approach.” The department added that Sheriff Robert Luna inherited a “dysfunctional system that was not funded for staffing” when he took office in December 2022.
Since then, LASD says it has reduced the backlog from about 10,000 applications to roughly 3,200, despite having only 13 personnel processing permits. The department also noted that it has approved more than 19,000 applications since 2020, including 5,000 in 2025, attributing earlier delays in part to the transition from paper-based processing to a new online system.
“We are confident a fair and impartial review of our efforts will show that the Department has not engaged in any pattern or practice of depriving individuals of their Second Amendment rights,” LASD stated.
Broader Context
Attorney General Pam Bondi called LASD’s handling of the process an “egregious pattern and practice of delaying law-abiding citizens from exercising their right to bear arms.”
The lawsuit represents the latest clash between the Trump administration and California. In recent months, the DOJ has also filed cases challenging the state’s transgender athletics policies, egg pricing rules, and voter roll management. In June, federal lawyers sued Los Angeles over its “sanctuary city” immigration practices.
Earlier this summer, President Donald Trump ordered National Guard and Marine units to Los Angeles, citing concerns over “public order” — a move the state successfully blocked in court.
While the new lawsuit could have far-reaching implications for how local jurisdictions process concealed carry applications, it also signals the administration’s intent to make Second Amendment enforcement a federal priority.
