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A Landmark Federal Intervention
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division has filed its first-ever lawsuit to enforce the Second Amendment, targeting the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Sheriff Robert Luna. The case charges that systematic delays in processing concealed carry weapon (CCW) permits have effectively denied law-abiding citizens their constitutional rights.
At the heart of the complaint is a damning statement: “The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has systematically denied thousands of Californians their fundamental Second Amendment right to bear arms—not through outright refusal, but through a deliberate pattern of delay that renders this constitutional right meaningless.”
This case is more than a local dispute. It marks the first time the DOJ has gone to court not to restrict firearms, but to demand that government honor the right to carry them. In California, where urban sheriffs have often treated CCW permits as privileges, not rights, that represents a seismic shift.
The Shocking Scale of the Backlog
The numbers tell the story. Between January 2024 and March 2025, LASD received 3,982 new CCW applications. Approvals? Just two—a 0.05% success rate.
👉 Paid subscribers get the full story: the scope of the backlog, how DOJ officials are framing this as a civil rights issue, the role of ongoing lawsuits, and why this case could ripple far beyond Los Angeles. So 80% of the column is just below. Including a link to the filing itself, and quotes from AG Bondi, Asst. Ag. Dhillon, and acting US Attorney Essayli.
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