DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro Says Registered Rifle and Shotgun Possession Alone No Longer a Felony

WASHINGTON, DC- In breaking with longstanding practice in light of President Trump's federalizing law enforcement in the nation’s capital, federal prosecutors will no longer pursue felony charges against people carrying rifles or shotguns except when they are used in violent crimes or weapons trafficking cases involving shotguns or rifles, First Post reported. Hangun cases are not included in the new directive. 

In an email obtained by the Washington Post, US Attorney for the District of Washington, DC, Jenine Pirro, issued the directive based on guidance from the Department of Justice and its solicitor general. 

Until the new directive was issued, the mandate was used in several high-profile prosecutions, including the 2016 “Pizzagate” incident when an armed man stormed a local restaurant carrying a long gun, and a 2019 case involving a shotgun attack in Northeast DC. 

The policy change comes as President Trump implemented an aggressive enforcement initiative in the nation’s capital, which has seen several high-profile violent crime cases over the past several years. Part of that initiative has included the seizure of 68 weapons; however, the new directive calls into question how many of those cases will result in charges. 

Pirro, a longtime close ally of the president, took over as DC’s US Attorney earlier this month after being narrowly confirmed by the Senate. She said her office will continue to prosecute violent crimes and weapons trafficking cases involving long guns. 

In a statement quoted by the Washington Post, Pirro said the District’s ban on carrying rifles and shotguns stands in direct conflict with Supreme Court rulings that have expanded gun rights, in particular District of Columbia v Heller (2008) and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen (2022). In both cases, the high court held that restrictions not grounded in US historical tradition cannot stand and are therefore unconstitutional. 

“President Trump and I remain fully committed to prosecuting gun crime,” Pirro said. “But we will do so in ways consistent with the Constitution and the laws of the land.” 

“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 magazines pursuant to DC Code 22-4503,” Pirro told the Post. “What it does preclude is a separate charge of possession of a registered rifle or shotgun.” 

DC’s gun laws prohibit open carry and require individuals to obtain a concealed carry permit to leave home with a firearm, and these permits are not issued for shotguns or rifles, The New York Post reported. 

Unlawfully carrying a registered long gun in Washington, DC can result in a fine and imprisonment of up to five years. 

“Criminal culpability is not determined by the instruments people employ but by the intent and conduct of the actor,” Pirro told the Post.

“Crimes are intentional acts and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent by my office regardless of what instruments of criminality are used,” Pirro’s statement continued. “My job is to keep this city, its citizens, its businesses, and its visitors safe from harm, and I will do that to the fullest extent of the law.”