Jeanine Pirro says people carrying rifles, shotguns in DC won’t face felony charges

Credit: Shutterstock

Jeanine Pirro’s new policy is shaking up law, safety, and politics

Washington, D.C., just got hit with a huge legal shift. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro has announced that her office will no longer pursue felony charges against people who carry registered rifles or shotguns in the city. For decades, D.C. has been one of the strictest places in the country when it comes to guns. Now, under federal leadership, that wall is cracking.

Pirro says her move follows Supreme Court rulings that affirm the right to carry firearms for self-defense. In her words, D.C.’s gun rules went too far. If you’re carrying a properly registered rifle or shotgun, you won’t be treated like a felon anymore.

But here’s where it gets messy: the change only applies to federal prosecutions. Local D.C. authorities can still press charges if they believe someone is breaking city gun laws. And anyone caught with an unregistered weapon, or a felon holding a firearm, will still face serious consequences.

Critics say this decision isn’t about safety at all, it’s politics. It lines up neatly with a broader Trump-era law-and-order push in the capital, despite the fact that crime rates don’t show a spike that justifies loosening restrictions. Supporters, on the other hand, claim it’s about restoring constitutional rights that D.C. ignored for years.

The truth is, this policy has left people split. Some feel safer knowing their rights are protected. Others fear more guns on the streets will only raise tensions in a city already full of protests, politics, and power struggles.

One thing is certain: Jeanine Pirro’s ruling has turned Washington, D.C. into a fresh battleground, not just over crime, but over what freedom and safety should look like in America’s capital.