California County Drops Restrictions On Red Dot Sights, Weapon Lights For Concealed Carry After Lawsuit
A California county agreed Thursday to end enforcement of restrictions about which firearms and accessories could be used by those with concealed carry permits.
Harold Hutchison · Oct 8, 2026 · 2 min read
A California county agreed Thursday to end enforcement of restrictions about which firearms and accessories could be used by those with concealed carry permits.
The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) sued the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office in June, accusing it of violating residents’ Second Amendment rights by prohibiting the use of red dot sights, lights mounted on pistols and the use of M1911-style pistols, before agreeing to a settlement to resolve the matter
“A sheriff does not get to invent a shorter list of approved handguns and accessories than the Constitution allows,” said SAF Director of Legal Research and Education Konstadinos Moros, who served as an attorney of record in the case, in the release. “Even though red-dot sights, weapon lights and 1911 and 2011 pistols are in common use for lawful self-defense, Contra Costa treated them as contraband. This settlement ends that unlawful practice, and we are pleased the County saw the error if its ways and resolved these issues.”
The Supreme Court’s June 2022 decision in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen declared discretionary-issue laws for concealed carry unconstitutional. In a footnote of the opinion, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas noted that even “shall issue” laws regarding concealed carry permits could fall under scrutiny over excessive fees or prolonged processing times.
Pro-Second Amendment organizations and individual plaintiffs filed a similar suit in December 2023, accusing California jurisdictions, including Los Angeles County, of charging excessive fees and being dilatory in processing applications for carry permits. SAF, which backed the suit, announced a settlement with California on Aug. 6.
The city of Glendale, California, announced it would charge $1,078 for an initial application for a concealed carry permit, which would come in addition to fees for fingerprinting, a training course and a psychological evaluation.
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