FILE PHOTO: A U.S. Justice Department logo or seal showing Justice Department headquarters, known as "Main Justice," is seen behind the podium in the Department's headquarters briefing room before a news conference with the Attorney General in Washington, January 24, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

(Reuters) -The U.S. government sued the Los Angeles County sheriff's department on Tuesday, accusing it of violating the Constitution by being far too slow to process licenses for people who want to carry concealed weapons.

In a complaint filed in Los Angeles federal court, the Department of Justice said the sheriff's "deliberate pattern of unconscionable delay" violated Californians' Second Amendment right to bear arms outside the home.

The sheriff's department had no immediate comment.

According to the Justice Department, the Los Angeles sheriff received 3,982 applications for new concealed carry licenses between January 2024 and March 2025 but approved just two.

The complaint also said the sheriff waits an average 281 days to start processing applications, violating a California law requiring initial reviews within 90 days, and sometimes keeps applicants waiting more than two years for interviews.

"These are not abstract statistics; they represent thousands of law-abiding citizens who have been stripped of their constitutional right to self-defense outside their homes," the complaint said.

The lawsuit seeks a permanent injunction requiring the sheriff to timely issue concealed carry licenses in accordance with the law.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York, Editing by Franklin Paul)