DOJ Sues LA Sheriff Over Concealed-Carry Delays
The U.S. Department of Justice sued the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department on Sept. 30, 2025, alleging the agency’s lengthy delays in processing concealed-carry permit applications violate the Second Amendment and state law. The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division — and Attorney General Pam Bondi in a statement — say the sheriff’s office took an average 281 days to begin processing, provided only two approvals out of more than 8,000 applications, and scheduled approval interviews up to two years after application; the complaint, filed in federal court in Los Angeles, seeks a permanent injunction to force timely licensing under California’s 90-day review requirement.
Legal
Government/Regulatory
🔍 Key Facts
- DOJ Civil Rights Division filed a federal civil complaint in Los Angeles federal court on Sept. 30, 2025.
- DOJ says the sheriff’s department reported only 2 approvals out of more than 8,000 concealed-carry applications and averages 281 days to start processing.
- California law requires initial review of concealed-carry applications within 90 days; DOJ seeks a permanent injunction compelling timely issuance.
📍 Contextual Background
- A crime statistician testified that rates of murder and violent crime were falling nationwide and in Charlotte after increases early in the 2020s (as of 2025-09-29).
- The Office for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services referred Harvard University to a debarment process.
- Debarment is a federal administrative process that can render an entity ineligible to receive federal grants.
- The Office for Civil Rights is an office within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
- The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) executes search warrants at residences and family homes as part of criminal investigations.
- The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigates incidents of targeted violence.
- Law enforcement agencies respond to active shooter incidents and may engage and neutralize suspects at the scene.