Topline:
The Department of Justice today sued the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department over the wait times to get a concealed carry permit. The lawsuit accuses the department of infringing on applicants' Second Amendment rights through delay tactics.
What does the DOJ allege? The DOJ alleges that the Sheriff’s Department has “systemically denied” thousands of applicants their Second Amendment right to bear arms outside their homes.
The reaction: The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department did not immediately respond to LAist’s request for comment.
Read on … for more on what the DOJ demands.
The Department of Justice on Tuesday sued the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department over the wait times to get a concealed carry permit. The lawsuit accuses the department of infringing on applicants' Second Amendment rights through delay tactics.
The lawsuit alleges that the Sheriff’s Department has only approved two out of nearly 8,000 applications for concealed carry permits. The suit does not specify the specific date range of the requests.
“Defendants force applicants to wait an average of 281 days — over nine months — just to begin processing their applications, with some waiting as long as 1,030 days (nearly three years),” the lawsuit states.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department did not immediately respond to LAist’s request for comment.
The DOJ demands
The Department of Justice — which says "the scope of this constitutional violation is staggering" — is asking the court to declare that the Sheriff’s Department is engaging in “excessive” delays and low approval rates.
Federal officials are seeking a permanent injunction prohibiting the Sheriff’s Department from implementing state law and regulations regarding concealed weapons on the grounds that that they violate the right to bear arms.
“The Second Amendment protects the fundamental constitutional right of law-abiding citizens to bear arms,” U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement. “Los Angeles County may not like that right, but the Constitution does not allow them to infringe upon it.”
Read the lawsuit
