You can now carry rifles, shotguns in Washington DC without facing charges: New policy after Trump takeover

Federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C. have been directed not to pursue felony charges against people caught carrying rifles or shotguns in the city, a dramatic departure from long-standing practice. The instruction, confirmed by US Attorney Jeanine Pirro in an email obtained by The Washington Post, follows guidance from the Justice Department and its solicitor general.

Until now, D.C.’s law barring residents from carrying long guns with only limited exceptions had been used in several notable prosecutions, including the 2016 “Pizzagate” incident, when an armed man stormed a local restaurant and a 2019 case involving a shotgun attack in Northeast Washington.

The policy shift coincides with President Donald Trump’s aggressive expansion of federal law enforcement in the capital, a campaign touted as a crackdown on illegal firearms. White House officials have pointed to the seizure of 68 weapons since the start of the initiative. Yet the new stance raises questions about how many of those cases will result in charges.

Pirro, who took over as the city’s chief federal prosecutor earlier this month and is a close Trump ally, stressed that her office will continue to prosecute violent crimes and weapons trafficking cases involving rifles or shotguns. Handgun cases, which make up the majority of gun-related prosecutions in D.C., are also unaffected.

In a statement, Pirro was quoted by the Washington Post as saying that the District’s ban on carrying rifles and shotguns conflicts with Supreme Court rulings that have expanded gun rights, notably District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen (2022). Both decisions held that restrictions not grounded in US historical tradition cannot stand.

“President Trump and I remain fully committed to prosecuting gun crime,” Pirro said. “But we will do so in ways consistent with the Constitution and the laws of the land.”