As violent crime continues to plague America’s big blue cities, President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice is doing what local officials refuse to — standing up for citizens’ right to defend themselves. The DOJ has just filed a lawsuit against Los Angeles County, accusing its sheriff’s department of illegally stonewalling concealed carry weapon (CCW) permits for law-abiding residents while crime runs rampant.
According to the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, out of more than 8,000 CCW applications filed in Los Angeles, only two have been approved. You read that right — two. Thousands of residents are waiting years just to get an interview, all while robberies, carjackings, and assaults skyrocket. If that’s not government negligence, what is?
Trump’s Attorney General Pam Bondi called it what it is — a constitutional violation. “Los Angeles County may not like that right, but the Constitution does not allow them to infringe upon it,” Bondi said. “This Department of Justice will continue to fight for the Second Amendment.”
Naturally, Los Angeles officials rushed to deny everything. A sheriff’s department spokesperson claimed they’re processing applications “in compliance with state and local laws” and that the DOJ’s data was “incorrect.” Sure — because two approvals out of eight thousand must be a rounding error.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon didn’t mince words either, calling Los Angeles “a real outlier.” She pointed out that while D.C. and San Francisco process permits within days, L.A. residents are waiting years. “Imagine if you had to get a license to enjoy your First Amendment rights, and then the government just sat on it forever,” she said. “A right is a right. The Second Amendment is not a second-class right.”
Dhillon’s logic is simple — an armed, responsible citizenry is a safer citizenry. “With violent crime in Los Angeles, the best offense is a good defense,” she told Fox News Digital. “Where a crime is occurring and a trained, armed citizen is there to help save a life or interrupt a serious crime, that keeps all of us safer.”
Between January 2024 and March 2025, nearly 4,000 Los Angeles residents applied for new CCW permits. Two were approved. The median wait time? Over a year. Some applicants have been waiting more than three. Dhillon called the delay “outrageous,” adding that most citizens don’t even bother applying anymore because they already know the system is rigged against them.
Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli put it bluntly: “Citizens living in high-crime areas cannot afford to wait to protect themselves while Los Angeles County dithers. The right to bear arms is among the founding principles of our nation. It can and must be upheld.”
Even California Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley weighed in: “Every law-abiding citizen should have the right and ability to protect themselves and their families. Unfortunately, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has created significant barriers to that right. I urge them to cooperate with the DOJ to fix this immediately.”
Dhillon also offered the simplest solution imaginable: hire more staff and process applications in days, not years. “It should take a couple of days or a week,” she said. “Run the fingerprints, verify training, confirm they’re not criminals — and boom, off you go.”
She pointed to Washington, D.C., as proof that efficiency is possible. “I walked into the municipal building, got fingerprinted, submitted proof of firearms training, and six days later, I got it,” Dhillon said. “That’s because they prioritize it. Los Angeles can do the same if they choose to.”
Of course, “if they choose to” is the key phrase — because Democrat-run cities seem far more interested in restricting lawful gun owners than stopping actual criminals.
Dhillon closed with a message that every American should take to heart: “An armed citizenry is a safe citizenry. We’ve seen a lot of violence in our country recently and no one to push back. It’s about time American citizens take responsibility for their own defense safely. We should be encouraging gun safety, education, and ownership in this country.”
And she’s absolutely right. While Los Angeles politicians brag about “record low homicides” — a claim few residents actually believe — families in high-crime neighborhoods are being told to wait three years for the right to protect themselves.
Once again, the Trump administration is doing what Democrats won’t: defending law-abiding Americans’ constitutional rights and reminding the nation that self-defense isn’t a privilege — it’s a God-given right. ??
