The Department of Justice is on defense over the Second Amendment in the wake of comments from D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro vowing a crackdown on guns in the nation's capital.

"This Administration and Department of Justice will fiercely protect Second Amendment rights," Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche posted on social media. Pirro previously attracted criticism for an appearance on Fox News in which she vowed to incarcerate anyone bringing a gun into D.C. without a license.

"You bring a gun into the District, you mark my words, you're going to jail," she said. "I don't care if you have a license in another district and I don't care if you're a law abiding law owner somewhere else. You bring a gun into this District, count on going to jail and hope you get the gun back. And that makes all the difference."

D.C. law requires that gun owners register their firearms and obtain a permit to carry. Despite that, pro-gun groups were outraged by her remarks and have pushed to change laws in D.C.

"Jeanine Pirro threatening to arrest people for carrying in DC, even if they are law-abiding and licensed, shows how broken and out of touch these gun laws are," posted the National Association for Gun Rights.
"Unacceptable and intolerable comments by a sitting US attorney."

"Pirro should be fired," asserted conservative influencer Kyle Rittenhouse. "There is NO REASON a U.S. Attorney should take such a blatantly unconstitutional stance."

Pirro, for her part, has insisted she supports the Second Amendment and that Congress would need to change the law.

"Let me be clear: I am a proud supporter of the Second Amendment.

Washington, D.C. law requires handguns be licensed in the District with the Metropolitan Police Department to be carried into our community," she posted. "

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

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.