In a swift reversal, D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro has moderated her earlier stringent stance on gun control in the nation’s capital. Initially, Pirro ignited controversy by threatening to arrest individuals carrying guns in Washington, D.C., regardless of their possession of a license in another district. This declaration provoked a storm of criticism from Second Amendment advocates and Republican lawmakers.

"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 — you bring a gun into this district, count on going to jail, and hope you get the gun back,” Pirro remarked during a Monday appearance on Fox News. However, less than 24 hours later, she took to social media to temper her comments, asserting her support for the Second Amendment and clarifying that her focus remained on those unlawfully carrying firearms.

“Washington, D.C. law requires handguns be licensed in the District with the Metropolitan Police Department to be carried into our community,” Pirro wrote in a Tuesday morning post on X. She emphasized the ongoing efforts to enhance community safety by targeting illegal gun carriers.

This backtrack did little to quell the initial uproar. The National Association for Gun Rights labeled her comments as “unacceptable and intolerable,” and several GOP Congress members, including Rep. Thomas Massie and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, voiced their disapproval. DeSantis highlighted that "Second Amendment rights are not extinguished just because an American visits D.C."

The controversy underscores the ongoing national debate over gun rights, particularly in jurisdictions with strict gun laws like Washington, D.C., which does not recognize concealed carry permits from other states.

John Commerford, from the NRA, pointed to this incident as a reason Congress should pass the National Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, which would allow state-issued concealed carry license holders to carry a firearm across state lines, including into D.C.

The backlash over Pirro’s remarks coincides with broader tensions within the Trump administration following its response to the fatal shooting of U.S. citizen Alex Pretti by federal officers, a situation criticized by both President Trump and other administration officials. This has sparked fears among Second Amendment groups about potential implications for gun rights under current leadership, reflecting a complex intersection of legal interpretation and political ramifications that continues to unfold.