BELLEVUE, Wash. — A District Court judge in California has denied in part a Motion to Dismiss (MTD) in a ruling that favors the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and its partners in CRPA v. LASD, SAF’s challenge to lengthy concealed carry permit wait times in Los Angeles.
The California Rifle & Pistol Association (CRPA), joined by the Second Amendment Foundation and others, has filed a federal lawsuit against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD), La Verne Police Department (LVPD), and California Attorney General Rob Bonta. This case challenges unconstitutional delays, excessive fees, and subjective “suitability” requirements in California’s concealed carry permit (CCW) process.
The lawsuit argues that LASD and LVPD have made it nearly impossible for law-abiding residents to exercise their right to carry firearms for self-defense—despite the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision affirming the right to bear arms outside the home. LASD admits to 12–18 month wait times, while LVPD requires applicants to pay over $1,000, including for invasive psychological exams, just to apply for a CCW permit. To make matters worse, California refuses to recognize permits from other states, leaving visitors and nonresidents disarmed.
This case is about more than Los Angeles County—it’s a fight against the growing trend of anti-gun jurisdictions undermining Supreme Court rulings through bureaucratic stonewalling and financial barriers. If CRPA succeeds, it could set a precedent forcing “shall-issue” jurisdictions to process permits quickly, drop poll tax-like fees, and stop using subjective hurdles to deny rights.
The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department’s (LASD) filed a motion to dismiss most aspects of SAF’s claims and limit any relief going forward to only the individual plaintiffs listed in the lawsuit.
The court found that SAF can sue on behalf of all its members, and not just those who are specifically named in the lawsuit. Now, as the case proceeds to final judgment, any relief SAF wins will be on behalf of all its members.
“One of LASD’s main arguments in their Motion to Dismiss was that any relief obtained would not apply to all SAF members who have applied for a permit with LASD, only to the listed individual plaintiffs, which is absurd,” said SAF Director of Legal Research and Education Kostas Moros. “Every SAF member, regardless of their affiliation with this case, faces the same long wait times, period. We are grateful the judge in this case saw through this thinly veiled attempt to subvert the Second Amendment rights of California residents.”
SAF is joined in the case by the California Rifle and Pistol Association (CRPA), Gun Owners of America, Gun Owners Foundation, Gun Owners of California and several individuals.
“What the LASD was trying to do with this motion to dismiss was to severely restrict the scope of relief SAF is seeking in this suit,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “At the core of their argument was the idea that even if the court dragged them kicking and screaming into processing these permit applications, they should only have to do so for the handful of individual plaintiffs, while continuing to violate the rights of all other SAF members in the state. We’re thrilled the court saw through this guise and shot this motion down.”
AmmoLand readers nationwide should watch this closely. If California’s schemes are struck down, it will send a powerful message to other states trying similar tactics to chill your Second Amendment rights.
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About Second Amendment Foundation
The Second Amendment Foundation (saf.org) is the nation’s oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group dedicated to safeguarding and promoting the fundamental rights of individuals enshrined in the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. SAF engages in aggressive legal action to ensure the principles of armed self-defense, personal liberty, and the ownership of arms are defended, secured, and restored. Through public education initiatives, SAF teaches the importance of the Second Amendment to promote a society that values and exercises the right to keep and bear arms.
scotus needs to DO THEIR JOB and pronounce all this bs is unconstitutional
“any relief SAF wins will be on behalf of all its members.”This is absurd. The state is playing a game. Or, SAF is. The last California major judicial win was only applied to a select group. You had to pay a membership fee to qualify for non-resident CCW. Effectively, the decisions meant that you had to pay a membership fee to exercise your 2nd amendment right. Maybe we should require all journalists to join an ongoing ethics in writing class before they can exercise the freedom of the press guaranteed by the constitution. Maybe only those who join toastmasters should… Read more »
Alan Gottlieb lobbied for universal background checks… National gun registration. Here’s Gottlieb on film,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oRWMxfTcfs