Triggered by Donald Trump’s swipe at Alex Pretti’s right “to keep and bear arms,” the NRA fired back and defended the slain nurse’s lawful gun ownership.
The fatal shooting of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti by federal agents during an ICE operation in Minneapolis has sparked a nationwide firestorm – fueling a deepening clash between civil rights advocates, gun rights groups, and the White House.
At the core is the accusation that Pretti was heavily armed and posed a threat.
“I don’t know of any peaceful protester that shows up with a gun and ammunition rather than a sign,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told reporters hours after Pretti was fatally shot by ICE, per ABC News.
Supporting Noem’s position, FBI Director Kash Patel said: “As Kristi said, you cannot bring a firearm loaded with multiple magazines to any sort of protest that you want. It’s that simple.”
He added, “No one who wants to be peaceful shows up at a protest with a firearm that is loaded with two full magazines.”
‘Brandished’ a weapon
During the media conference, Noem also asserted that Pretti had “attacked [ICE] officers,” wished to “inflict harm,” and “brandished” a weapon, echoing the official narrative that painted the nurse as a violent instigator.
Yet this portrayal has been sharply contested by eyewitnesses and widely circulated video footage. Clips from bystanders show that Pretti – who had a valid concealed carry permit under Minnesota law – was carrying a firearm in a belt holster.
Arguing Noem’s use of the word “brandished,” CNN pointed out that under U.S. Code Title 18, brandishing specifically means: “to display all or part of the firearm, or otherwise make the presence of the firearm known to another person, in order to intimidate that person, regardless of whether the firearm is directly visible to that person.”
Pretti never reached for his gun nor was he “brandishing” it aggressively. He was, however, holding a phone in his hand, that was raised while recording the chaos on the streets during the protest.
Despite these contradictions, Pretti was quickly labeled a “domestic terrorist” by some administration officials – a term used with increasing frequency following the controversial enforcement killings of Renee Good, just weeks earlier.
Trump reacts
Asked to respond to whether Pretti was a domestic terrorist, Trump distanced himself from that language but stood firm in condemning Pretti’s possession of a firearm, Reuters reports.
“I haven’t heard that,” Trump told reporters when asked about the terrorist label, “but [he] certainly shouldn’t have been carrying a gun.”
In later interviews, Trump elaborated on his discomfort with Pretti’s legal firearm ownership. “He had a gun. I don’t like that. He had two fully loaded magazines. That’s a lot of bad stuff. And despite that, I’d say that’s very unfortunate.”
According to a separate CNN article, when the POTUS was asked how his words aligned with the Second Amendment – that protects “the right to keep and bear arms” – Trump caught both critics and allies off guard: “You can’t walk in with guns, you can’t do that. But it’s a very unfortunate incident.”
‘Absolutely may walk around with guns’
Pretti’s case has also drawn swift reactions from gun rights organizations who argue that the entire episode sets a dangerous precedent.
“You absolutely may walk around with guns, and you absolutely may peacefully protest while armed,” Erich Pratt, Gun Owners of America (GOA) senior vice president, told CNN. “We have the First and Second amendments to protect the right to protest while armed – an American historical tradition that dates back to the Boston Tea Party.”
NRA: ‘Right to keep and bear arms anywhere’
The National Rifle Association (NRA) also had a lot to say on the matter.
Cautioning against criminalizing legal behavior, the NRA delivered a message on X, firmly standing its position in the ongoing conversation.
“The NRA unequivocally believes that all law-abiding citizens have a right to keep and bear arms anywhere they have a legal right to be.”
The message was seen by many as a direct rebuke – one that underscored the ideological rift between staunch Second Amendment defenders and Trump’s increasingly transactional political messaging.
As gun rights advocates and constitutional scholars continue dissecting the case, one thing remains clear: the Pretti shooting has become a flashpoint not just for policing and civil liberties but for the future of the gun rights movement in America.
What do you think of Pretti carrying a gun to the protest? Are you team Second Amendment or team Trump? Please let us know your thoughts and then share this story so we can get the conversation going!
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