Getting a concealed carry permit in Los Angeles might not be as impossible as it once was, but it's still not easy. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is notorious for dragging its feet, creating massive delays that might as well amount to "you're never getting a permit no matter what the Supreme Court said."
That's unacceptable, and we knew the United States Department of Justice was investigating via their civil rights office.
This is an office with a strong track record of success, but one that has generally overlooked the Second Amendment in previous administrations.
They're not overlooking anything now.
🚨 First-of-its-kind lawsuit dropped—the Second Amendment rights of Californians will NOT be trampled. This @CivilRights Division will fight LA’s deliberate delays on concealed carry permits, defending your 2A rights!
— AAGHarmeetDhillon (@AAGDhillon) September 30, 2025
🔗 https://t.co/Egh11Rivn5 pic.twitter.com/ArJXqCfNKL
This is big.
“The Second Amendment protects the fundamental constitutional right of law-abiding citizens to bear arms,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi via a press release. “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.”
“The Second Amendment is not a second-class right,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division in the same release. “This lawsuit seeks to stop Los Angeles County’s egregious pattern and practice of delaying law-abiding citizens from exercising their right to bear arms.”
Perhaps the most pithy reply, though, came from Acting US Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California, which makes an abbreviation of his job title look like an eye chart.
“Citizens living in high-crime areas cannot afford to wait to protect themselves with firearms while Los Angeles County dithers,” Essayli said. “The right to bear arms is among the founding principles of our nation. It can and must be upheld.”
The truth is that Los Angeles has always been anti-gun, and that includes making it impossible for law-abiding citizens without connections to get a concealed carry permit that would enable them to protect themselves. While the wealthy and powerful have never had much of an issue, the regular folks--the people most likely to have to defend themselves, it should be noted--have been left out.
These delays are just the latest tactic that seems designed to keep people from exercising their rights. A right delayed is a right denied, and for the first time, we're seeing a real effort by the federal government to protect this right, rather than treating it as if it's unworthy, unlike literally any other right preserved in the Constitution.
It's about time we saw this, and I applaud everyone at the Department of Justice involved in this effort.
The X post above includes a link to a press release that ends with this:
If you or someone you know has applied for a concealed carry permit in Los Angeles or any jurisdiction within the United States and have not received a reply or decision within four months after applying, please email [email protected]. The mailbox is actively monitored by attorneys assigned to protect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.
I encourage you to reach out if this applies to you.
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