The Wire · CalGunHub
DOJ and LA County Sheriff File Settlement Over Concealed Carry Permit Delays
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The agreement would end the federal government's first affirmative Second Amendment enforcement case and require four years of public reporting on LASD processing times.
Written by the CalGunHub desk from public reporting
Who this affects: For Los Angeles County residents applying for concealed carry licenses, the settlement, if approved by the judge, would commit the sheriff's department to meeting California's processing deadlines and would create four years of public reporting on wait times, fingerprint turnaround, and complaints. Applicants would gain a public record against which future delays can be measured, and the court would keep jurisdiction over the agreement for four years. The department does not admit liability under the filing. A separate private lawsuit over the same delays was also settled in August 2026. This is general information, not legal advice.
A proposed settlement between the U.S. Department of Justice and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department was filed on August 13, 2026, aiming to end the first lawsuit in which the federal government affirmatively enforced the Second Amendment, a case built around years-long waits for concealed carry licenses.
The filing, Document 36 in United States v. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, No. 2:25-cv-09323, was submitted to Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett in the Central District of California. The suit itself was filed September 30, 2025.
Data cited by the department in the litigation showed 3,982 new-license applications between January 2024 and March 2025, with only two licenses issued as of May 2025. Applicants waited an average of 281 days simply to reach the next step in the process, and some waits stretched to roughly 1,030 days, according to the department's filings as described in news coverage.
Under the settlement terms described in the filing, the sheriff's department represents that it meets California's processing deadlines, including the 90-day initial determination, and commits to four years of public reporting on low, high, and average processing times, fingerprint turnaround, and complaint counts. A compliance declaration is due within 90 days. The court would retain jurisdiction for four years, after which the case would be dismissed with prejudice. The department admits no liability under the agreement, according to reports reproducing portions of the document.
The settlement requires Judge Garnett's approval to take effect. If she signs off, the case would come off the active docket under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(a)(2). A separate private lawsuit over the same delays, brought by gun rights groups and individuals in December 2023, was announced settled a week earlier, on August 6, 2026.
Sources
Informational only, not legal advice. Facts are attributed to the sources listed above.