Trump administration vows to jail criminals who bring guns to DC after pardoning January 6 insurrectionists with guns

WASHINGTON —GIFFORDS, the national gun violence prevention organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, released the following statement criticizing the Trump administration’s dangerous hypocrisy and inconsistent enforcement of the law. As reported by the New York Times: U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine “Pirro declared that if anyone brings ‘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.’”

“Fundamentally, Donald Trump is making this country more dangerous. His administration is talking tough on crime in D.C., yet he pardoned people who attacked the capitol on January 6th, who were convicted of identical gun offenses —– just because they were Trump supporters. No community is safe when the government sees our laws as optional,” said GIFFORDS Executive Director Emma Brown. “This flip-flop is all the more galling after seeing his administration defend the murder of Alex Pretti, who was legally carrying a firearm in Minnesota.”

Pirro’s comments, which were roundly criticized by gun extremists, reflect an accurate interpretation of the law. Yet last year, President Trump pardoned multiple anti-government insurrectionists who were convicted of that same crime while calling it a “grave national injustice.” According to Reuters, “court records show at least five cases where carrying or possessing a firearm was part of the [January 6th] indictment. A summary of the cases by the Justice Department as of Jan. 3 said 180 defendants were charged with entering a restricted area with a dangerous or deadly weapon, which includes firearms and other types of weapons.” For instance, a man from Alabama was found with “an AR-15-style rifle, a shotgun, a crossbow, several machetes, smoke grenades and 11 Molotov cocktails.”

Trump himself reportedly knew the crowd was armed on the morning of January 6 before instigating them to march on the Capitol building and disrupt proceedings. According to a former Trump aide’s congressional testimony covered by NBC News, Trump protested when Secret Service screened the large crowd: “‘I don’t f—ing care that they have weapons,’ Trump fumed in urging aides to take down magnetometers near the White House before he addressed a ‘Stop the Steal’ rally…‘They’re not here to hurt me. Take the f—ing mags away.’”