Overview

• The Justice Department alleges a pattern or practice by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department that unlawfully burdens concealed-carry applicants’ Second Amendment rights.
• After reviewing more than 8,000 applications, DOJ reports average waits exceeding a year and interviews pushed into 2026 despite a California law requiring responses within 90 days.
• According to LASD data cited by DOJ, between January 2024 and May 8 only two of 3,982 new applications were approved while roughly 2,768 remained pending.
• The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California following a Civil Rights Division investigation opened on March 27, 2025.
• DOJ asked applicants who have waited more than four months without a decision to email a monitored mailbox as it pursues relief for affected permit seekers.