U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro Backtracks on D.C. Gun Rights Comments

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro reversed course Tuesday morning on her threats to jail all people who carry guns into the city, following swift backlash from gun rights activists and Republican lawmakers.

“Let me be clear: I am a proud supporter of the Second Amendment,” Pirro wrote in a 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.”

Pirro’s post sits in contrast to what she said during a Fox News appearance Monday, when she indicated that bringing a gun into the District would be considered a jailable offense.

“You bring a gun into this District, count on going to jail,” Pirro said on Fox News, discussing the city’s drop in violent crime. “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.”

Lawmakers and Second Amendment supporters were quick to criticize Pirro’s comments on Monday.

“I bring a gun into the district every week, @USAttyPirro,” Rep. Greg Steube posted on X Monday night. “I have a license in Florida and DC to carry. And I will continue to carry to protect myself and others. Come and Take it!”

“Our Second Amendment freedoms don’t disappear when we cross state lines or enter our nation’s capital city,” Rep. Andrew Clyde posted.

Rep. Chip Roy called on Attorney General Pam Bondi to have a discussion with Pirro about her comments, and Rep. Thomas Massie responded by laying out D.C.’s gun permitting laws.

“What Pirro just made is an un-constitutional threat against every American’s right to the 2nd Amendment, on national tv. Trump and his admin are again trying to strip you of a constitutional right. Jeanine Pirro must be fired,” The Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump Republican organization, posted on X.

Gun carry rights have become a thorny issue for the Republican Party in the days since Border Patrol agents killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Pretti was carrying a licensed handgun, which was holstered, when he was killed.

Gun groups also jumped into the fray Monday night to criticize Pirro’s statements.

“Jeanine Pirro threatening to arrest people for carrying in DC, even if they are law-abiding and licensed, shows how broken and out of touch these gun laws are,” the National Association for Gun Rights posted on X. “Unacceptable and intolerable comments by a sitting US attorney.”

“Concealed Carry Permit holders are statistically some of the most law abiding citizens in society—even more law abiding than police. We ARE NOT the problem @USAttyPirro,” Gun Owners of America wrote.