Overview
- Operations began on December 4 after DOJ notified Congress in late November that the section would be staffed and funded from within the department.
- Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon is leading the effort following President Trump’s February directive and Attorney General Pam Bondi’s creation of a Second Amendment task force.
- The section is conducting a pattern‑or‑practice probe of Los Angeles County’s concealed‑carry permitting and has sued the sheriff’s department over prolonged delays, fees, and approval processes.
- DOJ created a public reporting channel for delayed CCW decisions at Community.2ndAmendmentCA@usdoj.gov for applicants waiting more than four months.
- Industry groups praised the step as a policy correction, while former Civil Rights Division attorneys criticized it as a departure from the division’s traditional focus.