Trump ally Jeanine Pirro: Anyone bringing a gun into D.C. can "count on going to jail"

""You bring a gun into this district, count on going to jail," Pirro said on Fox News. "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." The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia did not immediately respond to Axios' Monday evening request for comment. Trump, FBI Director Kash Patel and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem made similar comments last week, suggesting Pretti should never have been carrying a firearm."

"State of play: D.C. law requires all gun owners to register weapons with local police. The nation's capital prohibits residents from registering AR-15-style rifles and similar weapons - essentially preventing civilians from owning them. Pirro's office in August directed D.C.'s federal prosecutors not to seek felony charges against people carrying rifles or shotguns in the capital, with limited exceptions for permit-holders. That's despite a local policy barring most individuals from carrying those weapons. The Justice Department sued D.C. police in December, arguing the district's ban on AR-15s and other firearms was unconstitutional."

"Flashback: The Trump administration has previously been vocal about defending supporters exercising their Second Amendment rights, including Kyle Rittenhouse, who fatally shot two men during racial justice protests in 2020. Trump characterized Rittenhouse, who was acquitted in 2021, as a "nice young man." He said he "should not have had to suffer through a trial" for what Trump considered to be self-defense. The other side: Other GOP lawmakers and influential Second Amendment groups quickly pushed back on the emerging pro-gun control rhetoric. "The NRA unequivocally believes that all law-abiding citizens have a right to keep and bear arms anywhere they have a legal right to be," the organization said on X after pushback from the administration."

Washington, D.C. requires all gun owners to register weapons with local police and bars residents from registering AR-15-style rifles, effectively preventing civilian ownership. Federal figures including Pirro, Trump, Kash Patel and Kristi Noem signaled that carrying a gun into the district could lead to jail and suggested certain individuals should not have been armed. Pirro's office previously instructed prosecutors not to seek felony charges for rifles or shotguns with limited exceptions, even as local policy largely prohibits carrying those weapons. The Justice Department sued D.C. police claiming the AR-15 ban is unconstitutional, while pro-gun groups pushed back on federal rhetoric.

Read at Axios