The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division is suing the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, claiming it is infringing on the rights of citizens seeking concealed-carry permits.
The lawsuit is the first affirmative case in support of gun owners filed by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The Civil Rights Division said it had received numerous complaints that revealed "inexplicable" delays well beyond California's statutory requirements and in violation of the Second Amendment.
Data and documents provided by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department revealed only two approvals for concealed carry weapons permits out of more than 8,000 applications over 15 months.
The Sheriff's 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," the Civil Rights Division said in its lawsuit.
The department scheduled interviews to approve licenses as far as two years after receiving completed applications, the Civil Rights Division said.
"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. This Department of Justice will continue to fight for the Second Amendment."
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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