Pirro Threatens Jail Time for Lawful Gun Owners Who Travel to D.C. With Firearms

The remarks by Jeannine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, prompted swift pushback from the Republican Party’s pro-Second Amendment wing.


Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, in November. Eric Lee for The New York Times

By Robert Jimison
Reporting from Washington

Feb. 2, 2026

Jeannine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, on Monday threatened jail time for anyone who enters the capital with a gun. ... In remarks on Fox News that could deepen a growing rift between gun owners and the Trump administration, Ms. Pirro declared that if anyone brings “a gun into the District, you mark my words, you’re going to jail. 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.”

Her remarks prompted swift pushback from the Republican Party’s pro-Second Amendment wing, which was thrown into a cycle of confusion and frustration over comments from President Trump and some in his administration after Alex Pretti, a licensed gun owner, was shot by federal immigration agents last month during a protest in Minneapolis.

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Ms. Pirro’s remarks caught the attention of several Republican lawmakers, including Representative Greg Steube of Florida, a U.S. Army veteran, who said on social media that he travels into Washington from his home district every week with a firearm. “I have a license in Florida and DC to carry. And I will continue to carry to protect myself and others,” Mr. Steube wrote. “Come and Take it!”

Representative Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky, sought to dispute the legality of Ms. Pirro’s assertion by pointing to laws within the U.S. capital. “Non-residents can obtain a permit in DC — don’t ask me how I know,” he wrote on social media.

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Robert Jimison covers Congress for The Times, with a focus on defense issues and foreign policy.