The National Association for Gun Rights pushed back against President Trump’s criticism of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old who was shot during a Minneapolis immigration operation. Videos and a preliminary report obtained by CBS News indicate agents shouted about Pretti’s gun before officers opened fire, and a Border Patrol agent later seized his weapon. Trump and administration officials said carrying a firearm in that context raised the risk of force, while NAGR and the NRA defended lawful public carry.
Top Gun-Rights Group Rebukes Trump Over Minneapolis Shooting, Sparking Debate Over Public Carry
The Trump administration's immigration crackdown in Minneapolis has so far killed two American citizens: Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, both 37. / Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Imag
The National Association for Gun Rights (which says it represents more than four million members) strongly rejected President Donald Trump’s comments about the Minneapolis shooting that killed 37-year-old intensive-care nurse Alex Pretti during an immigration enforcement operation.
Multiple videos of the encounter appear to show Pretti assisting a woman who had been shoved to the ground by a federal agent when a scuffle broke out and agents opened fire. A preliminary government report obtained by CBS News indicates an agent repeatedly shouted that Pretti had a gun before two officers discharged their weapons; the report also says a Border Patrol agent seized Pretti’s firearm after the shooting. Minneapolis police confirmed Pretti held a valid permit to carry.
Widening Political Debate
As he left the White House, President Trump said, "You can’t have guns. You can’t walk in with guns, you just can’t," and later described the episode as "a very unfortunate incident," criticizing Pretti for carrying what he said were "two fully loaded magazines."
Marchers in downtown Minneapolis last Friday—before Pretti was killed—waved signs decrying ongoing immigration enforcement operations in the Twin Cities metro area. / Star Tribune via Getty Images / Star Tribune via Getty Images
Responses From Gun Groups and Officials
Dudley Brown, president of the National Association for Gun Rights, pushed back:
"The president is wrong. While you don’t have the right to impede law enforcement, clearly you have every right to carry the tools for self-defense in public."
The National Rifle Association also weighed in, saying it "unequivocally believes that all law-abiding citizens have a right to keep and bear arms anywhere they have a legal right to be."
Administration officials argued the opposite narrative, saying carrying a weapon while confronting law enforcement or an enforcement action increases the risk that force will be used. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, "While Americans have a constitutional right to bear arms, Americans do not have a constitutional right to impede lawful immigration enforcement operations... when you are carrying a weapon... you are raising the assumption of risk." FBI Director Kash Patel and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem expressed similar concerns about armed protesters or bystanders at enforcement actions.
What Comes Next
The dispute has intensified a national conversation about legal public carry, the risks of armed presence at enforcement operations, and how public officials frame confrontations with law enforcement. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the gun-rights groups' criticism.
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