Federal prosecutors in D.C. were instructed not to seek felony charges against people carrying rifles or shotguns in the city, the U.S. attorney’s office confirmed to NBC News. It marks a dramatic shift from previous policy.
The change by U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro comes as the Trump administration sends hundreds of federal agents into streets to crack down on crime and enforce immigration laws.
“Criminal culpability is not determined by the instruments people employ but by the intent and conduct of the actor,” Pirro said in a statement. “Crimes are intentional acts and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent by my office regardless of what instruments of criminality are used. My job is to keep this city, its citizens, its businesses, and its visitors safe from harm and I will do that to the fullest extent of the law.”
Suspects still will be charged for any violent crimes with long guns, or in firearms trafficking situations, such as the sale of guns to prohibited persons, Pirro’s office said. But just possessing a rifle outside a home or business will not result in charges as it previously did.
The new policy covers large-capacity magazines but does not apply to handguns.
“We will continue to seize all illegal and unlicensed firearms, and to vigorously prosecute all crimes connected with them,” Pirro said, adding that she and Trump “are committed to prosecuting gun crime.”
Pirro said the change is based on guidance from the Justice Department and the Office of Solicitor General and conforms with two Supreme Court decisions on gun rights.
Pirro said a blanket ban on possessing shotguns and rifles violates the Supreme Court’s ruling in 2022 that struck down a New York gun law and held that Americans have a right to carry firearms in public for self-defense. She also pointed to the high court’s 2008 decision in District of Columbia v. Heller striking down the city’s ban on handguns in the home.
