DC will not pursue gun charges for carrying rifles or shotguns: Jeanine Pirro
The article reports that Washington, D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro has directed federal prosecutors not to pursue felony gun charges against individuals carrying rifles or shotguns in the district, despite local laws requiring permits to carry these firearms. This decision aligns with recent Supreme Court rulings-District of Columbia v.Heller (2008) adn N.Y. State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen (2022)-which reinforce the constitutional right to bear arms and restrict gun regulations not grounded in past precedent.
Pirro emphasized that this policy does not prevent prosecution for illegal firearm possession, such as possession by felons, but excludes separate charges solely for registered rifles or shotguns. The move comes amid President Donald Trump’s intensified efforts to combat crime in D.C., including federalizing local police and deploying multiple federal agencies.
Pirro expressed a commitment to removing illegal guns from the streets,linking recent shootings of teenagers to unlawfully possessed firearms,and vowed stronger enforcement to catch offenders. Additionally, the White House has recently simplified D.C.’s gun permitting process to aid residents in self-defense.
DC will not pursue gun charges for carrying rifles or shotguns: Jeanine Pirro
Washington, D.C., U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro is instructing federal prosecutors in the district not to seek felony gun charges against people who are carrying rifles or shotguns in the area.
The Department of Justice created the policy despite district law prohibiting carrying rifles and shotguns without permits. The policy also comes as the federal government cracks down on crime in the capital.
Pirro told the Washington Post that the ban on carrying the weapons “is clearly a violation of the Supreme Court’s holdings” in two landmark cases expanding the right to bear arms: District of Columbia v. Heller from 2008 and N.Y. State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen from 2022.
The first case established that people could possess firearms in their homes for self-defense, and the second said any gun-control regulations that are not rooted in U.S. historical tradition should be struck down by lower courts.
“Without question, President Donald Trump and I are committed to prosecuting gun crime,” Pirro said in the statement. “This unprecedented number of gun case prosecutions in both federal and local court is only done consistent with the constitution and the laws of the land.”
Pirro insisted the new policy would not prevent the attorney’s office from prosecuting firearm possession cases, but would exclude any additional separate charge for a registered rifle or shotgun.
“Nothing in this memo from the Department of Justice and the Office of Solicitor General precludes the United States Attorney’s Office from charging a felon with the possession of a firearm, which includes a rifle, shotgun, and attendant large capacity magazine pursuant to DC Code 22-4503. What it does preclude is a separate charge of possession of a registered rifle or shotgun,” she added.
The district previously prosecuted offenders in a 2019 shotgun attack in Northeast Washington and the 2016 “Pizzagate” shooter who targeted a restaurant in Chevy Chase with a pistol and AR-15 rifle.
District authorities recovered 98 rifles and 38 shotguns in 2023. Pirro would like to seize more, if the weapons are deemed illegal, during the president’s crime crackdown in the district. Trump has federalized the Metropolitan Police Department, ordered multiple federal agencies to the streets, and called to mobilize the district’s and several other states’ National Guard units.
Pirro said in a recent news conference that she would work to get illegal guns off the street, pointing to teenagers who had been killed in shootings.
“I guarantee you that every one of these shootings was with an illegal gun. All right?” Pirro said. “And I guarantee you that every one of these individuals was shot and killed by someone who felt that they were never going to be caught. And I want to send a message that we are going to catch you.”
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The White House streamlined the district’s gun permitting process last week in an effort to help residents protect themselves.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Pirro’s office for comment, but did not receive a response.
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