United States Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro came under fire after saying anyone who carried a firearm in the nation’s capital should “count on going to jail” during a Monday Fox News appearance.
Pirro’s comments came after the Trump administration received criticism for several comments it made about the Jan. 24 fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, an anti-ICE “observer” who also had a concealed carry permit. Pirro told “The Story” host Martha MacCallum that she wanted to send a “different message” to people.
“You bring a gun into the district, you mark my words, you’re going to jail,” Pirro said. “I don’t care if you have a license in another district, and I don’t care if you’re a law-abiding gun owner somewhere else. You bring a gun into this district, count on going to jail, and hope you get the gun back, and that makes all the difference.”
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“Yes, it’s amazing how accountability works, you know, when people think that if they actually get arrested they might have to do time and they might be taken off the street, it sort of puts a little different message into people’s heads,” MacCallum responded.
Pirro’s comments drew fire from other Republicans in the aftermath of her Fox News appearance.
“Second Amendment rights are not extinguished just because an American visits DC. American gun owners who conceal carry are among the most law-abiding citizens in the nation,” Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis posted on X. “They are friends of law enforcement; they should not be targeted by law enforcement.”
“The District of Columbia has been ‘shall issue’ since 2017 when the requirement that you must have a ‘good reason’ to carry a handgun was struck down,” Republican Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie said in a Monday post on X. “Non-residents can obtain a permit in DC — don’t ask me how I know.”
Gun Owners of America and the National Rifle Association did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Pirro addressed the controversy in a Tuesday morning post on X, explaining the legal requirements to carry a firearm in D.C.
“Let me be clear: I am a proud supporter of the Second Amendment,” Pirro said. “Washington, D.C. law requires handguns be licensed in the District with the Metropolitan Police Department to be carried into our community. We are focused on individuals who are unlawfully carrying guns and will continue building on that momentum to keep our communities safe.”
“Jeanine Pirro’s original remarks were not directed at violent criminals—they were aimed at law-abiding Americans who hold concealed carry permits in other states. By every available statistic, these citizens are among the most law-abiding people in the country,” Erich Pratt, Senior Vice President of Gun Owners of America, told the DCNF. “While she is now reiterating her support for the Second Amendment, she continues enforcing a law that criminalizes peaceful, non-violent behavior based solely on geography, not conduct.”
“Hardened criminals do not obtain permits or follow licensing schemes, yet D.C.’s laws place the full weight of prosecution on lawful citizens who pose no threat to public safety,” Pratt continued. “That is precisely why national concealed carry reciprocity is needed—a fundamental constitutional right should not disappear the moment a law-abiding American crosses an invisible border.”
The National Rifle Association did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Washington, D.C., does not recognize concealed carry permits issued by other states, although it will issue concealed carry permits to non-residents who register the firearms they will be bringing into the jurisdiction and who meet numerous other requirements, according to the United States Concealed Carry Association (USCCA).
President Donald Trump announced a federal takeover of Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to combat crime on Aug. 11, days after Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer Edward Coristine was severely injured when he intervened to stop a carjacking.
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