In a bold move that’s sending shockwaves through gun-restrictive states like California, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has formally notified the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department: stop violating citizens’ Second Amendment rights.
This communication signals a major shift in federal enforcement priorities. For too long, blue states have enacted and enforced laws that trample on the constitutional right to keep and bear arms. But Bondi isn’t just making noise—she has serious tools at her disposal. Chief among them is the power to initiate federal criminal charges against local and state officials who arrest or prosecute Americans for lawfully carrying firearms for self-defense. These kinds of actions can be prosecuted as civil rights violations under federal law.
18 U.S. Code § 242 provides that, Whoever, under color of any law, statute, ordinance, regulation, or custom, willfully subjects any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States, or to different punishments, pains, or penalties, on account of such person being an alien, or by reason of his color, or race, than are prescribed for the punishment of citizens, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both; and if bodily injury results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include the use, attempted use, or threatened use of a dangerous weapon, explosives, or fire, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and if death results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill, shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both, or may be sentenced to death."
Previous attorneys general have looked the other way, hiding behind “prosecutorial discretion” and choosing not to intervene. But those days are over. The tide is turning.
And this isn’t just a political opinion—it’s the law of the land. The United States Supreme Court has repeatedly affirmed the individual right to bear arms, and has made clear that this right is not limited to federal jurisdictions.
In District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570 (2008), the Court held that the Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to possess a firearm for lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.
In McDonald v. City of Chicago, 561 U.S. 742 (2010), the Court extended that protection to state and local governments, confirming that the Second Amendment is fully applicable to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment.
Most recently, in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen, 597 U.S. ___ (2022), the Court struck down New York’s restrictive “may-issue” concealed carry law, making it clear that the right to carry a firearm in public for self-defense is also protected.
These landmark rulings leave little room for interpretation. Yet some states continue to enforce unconstitutional laws in direct defiance of Supreme Court precedent.
Attorney General Bondi’s action is a wake-up call: violating the Second Amendment is no longer a risk-free endeavor for local officials. Those who continue to arrest or prosecute law-abiding gun owners may soon find themselves facing federal civil rights charges.
The message is clear—America’s constitutional rights are not optional, and they are not confined to one region. The Second Amendment applies nationwide, and those who ignore it may soon face federal felony charges.
Here is the press release:
U.S. Department of Justice Announces Second Amendment Pattern-or-Practice Investigation into California’s Los Angeles County
Office of Public Affairs
Protecting the Second Amendment rights of ordinary, law-abiding Americans is a high priority for this Administration.
As part of a broader review of restrictive firearms-related laws in California and other States, the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division today announced an investigation into the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to determine whether it is engaging in a pattern or practice of depriving ordinary, law-abiding Californians of their Second Amendment rights. A recent federal court decision found that “the law and facts [we]re clearly in … favor” of two private plaintiffs who challenged the lengthy eighteen-month delays that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department had imposed when processing their concealed handgun license applications. And the Civil Rights Division has reason to believe that those two plaintiffs are not the only residents of Los Angeles County experiencing similarly long delays that are unduly burdening, or effectively denying, the Second Amendment rights of the people of Los Angeles.
The Supreme Court has repeatedly recognized that the Second Amendment is not “a second-class right.” And over the past two decades, the Supreme Court has recognized that the Second Amendment is a fundamental, individual constitutional right and has taken multiple opportunities to strengthen Second Amendment protections for ordinary, law-abiding citizens.
Some States and localities, however, have resisted this recent pro-Second Amendment caselaw. And California has been a particularly egregious offender. In response to recent Supreme Court caselaw, California enacted new legislation to further restrict the ability of ordinary, law-abiding Californians to keep and bear arms. And many California localities appear to be imposing additional burdens beyond those required by California state law, including by subjecting ordinary, law-abiding Californians to expensive fees and lengthy wait times associated with applications for concealed handgun licenses.
“This Department of Justice will not stand idly by while States and localities infringe on the Second Amendment rights of ordinary, law-abiding Americans,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The Second Amendment is not a second-class right, and under my watch, the Department will actively enforce the Second Amendment just like it actively enforces other fundamental constitutional rights.”
Attorney General Bondi hopes that states and localities will voluntarily embrace their duty to protect the Second Amendment rights of their citizens. But if necessary, today’s announcement will be the first of many similar investigations, lawsuits, or other actions involving other localities in California, the State of California itself, and any other states or localities that insist on unduly burdening, or effectively denying, the Second Amendment rights of their ordinary, law-abiding citizens.
