The Second Amendment Foundation and co-plaintiffs announced a settlement Thursday resolving the remaining claims in California Rifle and Pistol Association v. LASD, a lawsuit challenging concealed carry permit delays and regulations enforced by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The agreement comes after the department represented that it is now processing concealed carry weapon applications within the 120-day timeframe mandated by California law.
SAF filed the lawsuit alongside the California Rifle and Pistol Association, Gun Owners of America, Gun Owners Foundation, Gun Owners of California, and several individual plaintiffs.
According to the organizations involved, the lawsuit led to multiple legal and policy changes during litigation. These included a preliminary injunction requiring California to issue concealed carry permits to qualified nonresidents, a policy later codified into law by the state Legislature through Assembly Bill 1078.
The litigation also prompted changes to state law that eliminated automatic five-year permit bans based on temporary restraining orders dissolved without a full hearing.
Additionally, the suit led to a preliminary injunction against long processing wait times at the Sheriff’s Department and prompted the City of La Verne to reduce permit fees and subsidize required psychological examinations.
“This case was ambitious from the start, tackling several different obstacles Californians and visitors faced when trying to exercise their Second Amendment right to carry,” said Kostas Moros, SAF Director of Legal Research and Education. “While we settled the remaining claims against LASD once they demonstrated compliance with the statutory timelines, the broader impact of the litigation is clear: California residents and nonresidents alike now have more Second Amendment freedoms thanks to the diligent work of SAF and its partners. We will continue monitoring to ensure these gains are not rolled back.”
SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut stated that the organization will continue using legal action to enforce permit regulations.
“SAF is the leader when it comes to defending, securing and restoring our Second Amendment freedoms across the nation,” Kraut said. “Lawmakers and officials in California have long treated the Second Amendment as a second-class right, and this settlement proves we will not stop until those who wish to trample our constitutional rights are held accountable. Litigation remains one of the most effective tools we have to force compliance with the Constitution when government agencies refuse to do so on their own. This settlement marks meaningful progress, but our work to secure full recognition of the right to carry – including true interstate reciprocity – continues.”
The settlement is pending final approval by the Los Angeles County Claims Board. A parallel lawsuit against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department filed by the U.S. Department of Justice remains separate and is not resolved by this agreement.
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