DOJ and Los Angeles County Reach Agreement on Concealed Carry Permits
On Thursday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) disclosed that Los Angeles County has agreed to begin issuing concealed carry permits, following a significant ruling by the Supreme Court.
Back in September 2025, the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division initiated legal action against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) and Sheriff Robert Luna in a Central District of California court. The lawsuit claimed that the department had consistently violated Second Amendment rights by unreasonably delaying the processing of concealed carry weapon (CCW) permit applications. When announcing the settlement, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon commended the LASD for taking steps to rectify the issue, particularly in light of a June 2022 Supreme Court decision in *New York State Rifle and Handgun Association v. Bruen*.
“The Department of Justice is supporting our law enforcement partners,” Dhillon stated. She noted that the Sheriff had recognized the issue and had pledged to allocate more resources, which included new processing software and additional staff, to significantly decrease the wait times for permits. Dhillon expressed appreciation for the Sheriff’s commitment to resolving the situation.
In the court’s opinion on the Bruen case, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas cautioned that even states like California, which have laws on issuing permits, could face legal challenges. He emphasized that no permit system is immune to abuse, such as imposing long delays or high fees that effectively deny citizens their right to carry in public.
When the lawsuit was filed, applicants were typically waiting around nine months for their permits, far exceeding the legal processing deadline of 120 days.
Several Second Amendment advocacy groups and individual plaintiffs have launched similar lawsuits. In December 2023, complaints arose regarding excessive fees and delays in processing applications in various California jurisdictions. The Second Amendment Foundation, which backed the December 2023 lawsuit, announced its settlement with the state of California on August 6.
Additionally, the Department of Justice is actively contesting California’s prohibition on Glock pistols, having filed a lawsuit in July and sought an injunction to block this law shortly thereafter.
