Jeanine Pirro said law-abiding gun owners cannot bring firearms into Washington, D.C. Is she right?

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro caused a stir among Second Amendment supporters when she talked about a gun crackdown during a Fox News appearance. 

Referring to the city's recent decline in homicides, Pirro said: 

"You bring 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. You bring a gun into this district, count on going to jail and hope you get the gun back."

U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., said Feb. 2 that he has a license to carry a firearm in Florida and Washington, D.C., and brings "a gun into the district every week." The National Association for Gun Rights criticized Pirro for "threatening to arrest people for carrying in DC, even if they are law-abiding and licensed."  

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wrote Feb. 3, "Second Amendment rights are not extinguished just because an American visits DC." 

Pirro sought to clarify her position in follow-up social media posts Feb. 3, describing herself as a "proud supporter of the Second Amendment." Washington, D.C., law requires handguns carried into the city be licensed with district police, she said.

"We are focused on individuals who are unlawfully carrying guns and will continue building on that momentum to keep our communities safe," Pirro said. 

Pirro’s Feb. 2 comments oversimplified the district’s gun laws. People can legally possess firearms by registering their weapons in the district, and obtaining a Washington, D.C., concealed carry permit would allow them to legally carry it outside their homes and places of business. The district does not recognize other states’ firearm registrations, but people can lawfully transport firearms through the district if they follow certain rules.

What are Washington, D.C.’s firearm registration requirements? 

Washington, D.C., has historically had strict gun regulations. The district had essentially banned handguns for about 30 years until 2008, when a Supreme Court decision overturned the rule. 

Registering firearms with the Metropolitan Police Department is required to legally possess a gun in the district, which allows most people to register rifles, shotguns, revolvers and handguns.

Firearm registration is required for most gun owners, including district residents, business owners and both residents and nonresidents with concealed carry licenses. 

The Metropolitan Police Department says people are eligible to register firearms if they meet certain requirements, including: 

• Being 21 or older (or 18 or older with a notarized statement from a guardian);

• Completing the department’s free firearms training and safety class; 

• Having no convictions for certain weapons offenses;

• Having no felony convictions;

• And having no indictments for weapons offenses or violent crimes.

Government-issued service weapons do not have to be registered. Some people, including qualified current and retired law enforcement officers and on-duty active military members, are not required to register their firearms.

Firearm registration allows a person "to possess, but not carry, the gun," said Andrew Willinger, a Georgia State University law professor and gun regulation expert. 

Some weapons are ineligible to be registered, including: sawed-off shotguns, machine guns, short-barreled rifles, .50 caliber BMG rifles and assault weapons. 

What are the district’s open carry and concealed carry laws? 

Openly carrying firearms is generally prohibited; people with valid firearm registrations can carry their firearms in their homes or places of business. They also can use their firearms for lawful recreational purposes — such as at firearms training, safety classes or at a gun range — and transport them within legal limits. 

People age 21 and older who are eligible to register firearms and meet additional requirements can get a Washington D.C. concealed carry license if they complete required training. 

Neither residents nor nonresidents are allowed to carry concealed guns in the district without this license. 

There are some exceptions, including for  qualified current and retired law enforcement officers.

Licensees cannot carry firearms in schools, hospitals, polling places, public transportation, government buildings and other specific locations.

In August 2025, Pirro’s office announced it would stop pursuing felony charges for carrying rifles or shotguns.

Can nonresidents get a concealed carry license in Washington, D.C.?

Yes, nonresidents can obtain concealed carry licenses — and they need licenses to legally carry their firearms. 

"If a nonresident brings a gun into D.C. and does not have a D.C. permit, that is unlawful regardless of whether the gunowner is licensed in his or her state of residence or law-abiding," Willinger said in an email. 

Can nonresidents bring their firearms in or through the district?

Yes, under certain conditions.

Under federal law, it is generally legal for people to transport guns from one state where they can be lawfully possessed to another state where they can be lawfully possessed. People do not have to comply with gun laws in each state they pass through, as long as the firearm is not loaded or readily accessible, Willinger said. 

In the district, nonresidents without a Washington, D.C., concealed carry license can bring firearms in vehicles as long as they are unloaded and as long as the firearms and ammunition are not readily accessible. If transporting firearms in ways other than in vehicles, they must be unloaded and stored in locked containers. 

If a nonresident travels through the district with a firearm that isn’t registered in Washington, D.C., they should go straight to and from their destination.

Nonresidents traveling to or from a lawful recreational firearm-related activity don’t need to register their firearm, so long as they can present proof that they legally possess their firearm in their home state and that they are on the way to or from that activity.

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