OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
1:00 PM – Saturday, August 23, 2025
United States Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro has announced that federal prosecutors will no longer pursue felony charges for mere possession of rifles or shotguns in Washington, D.C.
This change means that, except in certain cases, felony charges will no longer be implemented under a D.C. law that made it illegal to carry rifles or shotguns within its boundaries.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office will, however, continue to seek charges whenever a person is accused of committing a violent crime with a shotgun or rifle, or if the individual has a criminal record that prohibits them from possessing a firearm. The new policy also includes large-capacity magazines, but excludes handguns. Officials are also able to prosecute individuals in possession of unregistered rifles and shotguns in the district.
Pirro made a statement explaining that the policy change is in alignment with Supreme Court (SCOTUS) rulings protecting gun rights, and was enacted under the guidance of the Justice Department and the Office of Solicitor General.
The first SCOTUS ruling the former Fox News host referenced overturned a New York gun law in 2022 and held that Americans have a right to carry firearms I public for self-defense. She asserted that a blanket ban on the possession of shotguns and rifles violates this opinion. The second ruling cited was from 2008, where the court blocked D.C.’s ban on handguns within the home.
Pirro, who celebrated her 100th day in office on Friday, has been a vocal critic of local officials’ handling of crime since President Donald Trump first appointed her as the leader of the nation’s largest attorney’s office in May.
“We will continue to seize all illegal and unlicensed firearms, and to vigorously prosecute all crimes connected with them,” Pirro said in her statement, adding that she and Trump “are committed to prosecuting gun crime.”
This move coincides with President Trump’s military takeover of the Capitol earlier this month. The White House reported that 76 firearms have been seized since the president deployed the National Guard to Washington, D.C.
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