Crime & Safety
LASD Accused Of 2nd Amendment Violations By Trump Administration
The DOJ sued the LA County Sheriff's Department, accusing the agency of denying people their right to carry concealed handguns.
LOS ANGELES, CA — The U.S. Department of Justice sued the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Tuesday, alleging the agency "systematically" denies law-abiding Californians their constitutional right to carry concealed handguns in public for self-defense.
The lawsuit filed by the DOJ's civil rights division contends eligible citizens face "unreasonable delays" in concealed carry permitting decisions by the sheriff's department.
After receiving notice of the division's probe of the allegations, the sheriff's department provided data and documents revealing only two approvals from more than 8,000 applications, and that the agency scheduled interviews to approve licenses as much as two years after receiving completed permit requests, according to the DOJ.
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The lawsuit, lodged in Los Angeles federal court, also names Sheriff Robert Luna as a defendant.
The sheriff's department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The department has said previously that according to policy, it does not comment on pending litigation.
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"The Second Amendment is not a second-class right," Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the DOJ's civil rights division said in a statement. "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."
Shortly after Dhillon was sworn in to lead the division, numerous complaints alleged inexplicable delays well beyond California statutory requirements and in violation of the U.S. Supreme Court's interpretation of the Second Amendment right of law-abiding citizens, according to the DOJ.
"Citizens living in high-crime areas cannot afford to wait to protect themselves with firearms while Los Angeles County dithers," Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli of the Central District of California said in a statement. "The right to bear arms is among the founding principles of our nation. It can and must be upheld."
City News Service
