Pirro appears to walk back threats to arrest gun owners in DC

D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro appeared to walk back a previous threat to arrest anyone who brings a gun to Washington amid an uproar from Second Amendment groups.

The backtrack came after Pirro’s initial comments sparked fierce criticism from GOP members of Congress and gun rights advocates. It’s the latest in a series of statements from the administration that have rankled many in the party’s pro-Second Amendment base.

“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” Pirro said during a Monday appearance on Fox News, where she previously hosted the show “Justice with Judge Jeanine.”

But less than 24 hours later, Pirro attempted to reframe her earlier comments, writing in a social media post that she is “a proud supporter of the Second Amendment.”

“Washington, D.C. law requires handguns be licensed in the District with the Metropolitan Police Department to be carried into our community,” she wrote in a Tuesday morning post on X. “We are focused on individuals who are unlawfully carrying guns and will continue building on that momentum to keep our communities safe.”

She also referenced the response in a video posted to her social media page, acknowledging that “some people are concerned about something I said yesterday” before further clarifying her position.

The conservative National Association for Gun Rights swiftly came out in opposition to Pirro’s stance, calling her remarks “unacceptable and intolerable comments by a sitting US attorney.”

Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, one of the administration’s most frequent critics in the House GOP Conference, also denounced Pirro, writing on social media: “Why is a ‘conservative’ judge threatening to arrest gun owners?” Reps. Greg Steube (R-Fla.), Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) criticized the U.S. attorney, too, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said “Second Amendment rights are not extinguished just because an American visits DC.”

Washington does not recognize concealed carry permits from other states, and local law requires all firearms in the district to be registered with local police.

John Commerford, executive director of the National Rifle Association's legislative arm, said Pirro's remarks "highlight the need for Congress to pass H.R. 38, the National Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act." That bill, introduced last year by Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), would allow anyone with a state-issued concealed carry license to carry a firearm in any other state.

"Law-abiding citizens' right to self-defense should not end simply because they crossed a state line or entered Washington, D.C.," Commerford said in a statement to POLITICO.

The backlash to Pirro’s comments comes as the Trump administration faces uproar from Second Amendment advocates for its rhetoric following the killing of U.S. citizen Alex Pretti by federal immigration enforcement officers in Minneapolis.

Just days after the fatal shooting, President Donald Trump criticized Pretti for carrying a firearm, saying: “I don’t like that he had a gun.”

Other members of the administration also disparaged Pretti, with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt contending that carrying a weapon raises “the assumption of risk” during interactions with law enforcement and FBI Director Kash Patel saying “you cannot bring a firearm loaded with multiple magazines to any sort of protest that you want.”

Those remarks triggered fury from Second Amendment groups like the NRA, which called federal prosecutor Bill Essayli’s response to the shooting “dangerous and wrong.” The rhetoric has also fueled concern that the administration could be harming the GOP’s chances of defending its slim majority in Congress in this fall’s midterm elections.