Federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C. are taking a sharp new direction under U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, who announced Tuesday that her office will no longer pursue felony charges against individuals solely for possessing rifles or shotguns under local law.

The policy shift — unveiled by the nation’s largest U.S. attorney’s office — narrows prosecutions to cases involving violent crimes or defendants already prohibited from firearm ownership. Local D.C. officials may still pursue cases involving unregistered long guns, according to the Associated Press.

Pirro, appointed by President Donald Trump in May, made clear the change was rooted in constitutional fidelity, citing both Justice Department guidance and landmark Supreme Court rulings.

“A blanket ban on possessing shotguns and rifles cannot stand under the Supreme Court’s guidance,” Pirro said, referencing the 2008 District of Columbia v. Heller decision that struck down a handgun ban, as well as the 2022 ruling that gutted New York’s restrictive carry law. “We will continue to seize all illegal and unlicensed firearms, and to vigorously prosecute all crimes connected with them.”

The policy also extends to large-capacity magazines but leaves handgun cases unaffected.

The announcement comes as President Trump has declared a crime emergency in Washington, D.C., deploying hundreds of National Guard troops and federal agents to confront surging violence. Since the crackdown began earlier this month, the White House reports 76 firearms have already been seized.

Pirro, the former Fox News host and longtime critic of D.C.’s weak-on-crime policies, emphasized that her office’s mission is twofold: defend constitutional rights while ensuring violent offenders face justice.

But Pirro wasn’t finished making headlines. Just one day earlier, she revealed that federal agents arrested a woman who allegedly threatened to assassinate President Trump.

“Hi everyone, it’s Judge Jeanine. I just wanted to let you know here from the United States Attorney’s Office in D.C. that an individual by the name of Nathalie Rose Jones is now in custody, charged with two federal crimes for knowingly and willfully threatening to take the life of the President of the United States,” Pirro announced in a video posted to social media.

“She did come from New York to Washington, D.C. and she has been threatening and calling for the removal of the president and even worse as she got to D.C. Her threats were on Facebook and Instagram and she continued to call the president a terrorist and was working to have him eliminated. She is now in custody. She will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Make no mistake about that.”

Her office’s official statement identified Jones as a 50-year-old woman from Lafayette, Indiana, arrested on August 16. Jones faces federal charges for threatening the life of the President, kidnapping, and transmitting threats in interstate commerce.

“Threatening the life of the President is one of the most serious crimes and one that will be met with swift and unwavering prosecution. Make no mistake—justice will be served,” Pirro declared.

She praised the work of the Secret Service and other law enforcement partners for their “tireless commitment to protecting our leaders and our nation.”

Taken together, the moves reflect a DOJ under Pirro that is both unapologetically constitutional and fiercely protective of President Trump’s leadership at home and abroad.