Source: Politics<\/p>\n
D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro appeared to walk back a previous threat to arrest anyone who brings a gun to Washington amid an uproar from Second Amendment groups.<\/p>\n
The backtrack came after Pirro\u2019s initial comments sparked fierce criticism from GOP members of Congress and gun rights advocates. It\u2019s the latest in a series of statements from the administration that have rankled many in the party\u2019s pro-Second Amendment base.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t care if you have a license in another district, and I don\u2019t care if you\u2019re a law-abiding gun owner somewhere else \u2014 you bring a gun into this district, count on going to jail, and hope you get the gun back\u201d Pirro said during a Monday appearance on Fox News, where she previously hosted the show \u201cJustice with Judge Jeanine.\u201d<\/p>\n
But less than 24 hours later, Pirro attempted to reframe her earlier comments, writing in a social media post that she is \u201ca proud supporter of the Second Amendment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWashington, D.C. law requires handguns be licensed in the District with the Metropolitan Police Department to be carried into our community,\u201d she wrote in a Tuesday morning post on X<\/a>. \u201cWe are focused on individuals who are unlawfully carrying guns and will continue building on that momentum to keep our communities safe.\u201d<\/p>\n She also referenced the response in a video posted to her social media page<\/a>, acknowledging that \u201csome people are concerned about something I said yesterday\u201d before further clarifying her position.<\/p>\n The conservative National Association for Gun Rights swiftly came out in opposition to Pirro\u2019s stance, calling her remarks<\/a> \u201cunacceptable and intolerable comments by a sitting US attorney.\u201d<\/p>\n Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, one of the administration\u2019s most frequent critics in the House GOP Conference, also denounced Pirro<\/a>, writing on social media: \u201cWhy is a \u2018conservative\u2019 judge threatening to arrest gun owners?\u201d Reps. Greg Steube (R-Fla.), Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) criticized the U.S. attorney, too, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said<\/a> \u201cSecond Amendment rights are not extinguished just because an American visits DC.\u201d<\/p>\n Washington does not recognize concealed carry permits from other states, and local law requires all firearms in the district to be registered with local police.<\/p>\n John Commerford, executive director of the National Rifle Association’s legislative arm, said Pirro’s remarks “highlight the need for Congress to pass H.R. 38<\/a>, the National Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act.” That bill, introduced last year by Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), would allow anyone with a state-issued concealed carry license to carry a firearm in any other state.<\/p>\n “Law-abiding citizens’ right to self-defense should not end simply because they crossed a state line or entered Washington, D.C.,” Commerford said in a statement to POLITICO.<\/p>\n The backlash to Pirro\u2019s comments comes as the Trump administration faces uproar<\/a> from Second Amendment advocates for its rhetoric following the killing of U.S. citizen Alex Pretti by federal immigration enforcement officers in Minneapolis.<\/p>\n Just days after the fatal shooting, President Donald Trump criticized Pretti for carrying a firearm<\/a>, saying: \u201cI don\u2019t like that he had a gun.\u201d<\/p>\n Other members of the administration also disparaged Pretti, with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt contending that carrying a weapon raises \u201cthe assumption of risk\u201d during interactions with law enforcement and FBI Director Kash Patel saying \u201cyou cannot bring a firearm loaded with multiple magazines to any sort of protest that you want.\u201d<\/p>\n Those remarks triggered fury from Second Amendment groups like the NRA, which called federal prosecutor Bill Essayli\u2019s response<\/a> to the shooting \u201cdangerous and wrong.\u201d The rhetoric has also fueled concern that the administration could be harming the GOP\u2019s chances<\/a> of defending its slim majority in Congress in this fall\u2019s midterm elections.<\/p>\n