The federal Department of Justice says it has launched an investigation into whether the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department is violating people’s gun rights with excessive fees and wait times for concealed carry permits.
The DOJ announced Thursday afternoon that it was opening an investigation into the Sheriff’s Department’s possible abuse of Second Amendment rights, part of a broader review of “restrictive firearms-related laws” in California and other states.
The federal authorities cited a lawsuit that challenged the 18-month delay plaintiffs faced in receiving concealed carry licenses from LASD as a reason for the probe. A DOJ news release stated that it is likely others are “experiencing similarly long delays that are unduly burdening, or effectively denying, the Second Amendment rights of the people of Los Angeles.”
The Justice Department called California a “particularly egregious offender” that has resisted the Supreme Court’s recent pro-Second Amendment rulings and enacted new legislation to further restrict the right to bear arms. Last month, Trump directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to launch a review of Second Amendment law and infringements nationwide.
“This Department of Justice will not stand idly by while States and localities infringe on the Second Amendment rights of ordinary, law-abiding Americans,” said Bondi in a statement about the LASD investigation. “The Second Amendment is not a second-class right, and under my watch, the Department will actively enforce the Second Amendment just like it actively enforces other fundamental constitutional rights.”
The Sheriff’s Department issued a statement Thursday, saying it respects and upholds the Second Amendment. The department said limited staff and a backlog of applications are to blame for the delays in permit approvals.
Post a Comment