NRA, local gun rights advocates reject Trump officials blaming Alex Pretti for being armed

Gun rights advocates in Minnesota and the nation are pushing back on the contention from Trump administration officials that federal agents killing Alex Pretti on Saturday, Jan. 24, was justified because, among other factors, he had a gun and ammunition with him.

Border Patrol Cmndr. Greg Bovino told CNN one day after the shooting, “We respect that Second Amendment right, but those rights don’t count when you riot and assault, delay, obstruct and impede law enforcement officers and, most especially, when you mean to do that beforehand.”

Disagreeing was Rob Doar, senior vice president of the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus and a gun rights advocate. Doar said he has seen at least four videos taken by bystanders of Pretti’s death during an immigration enforcement action on Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis. He gave the Minnesota Star Tribune a moment-by-moment account of what he saw, contradicting Bovino’s assessment.

“We saw Mr. Pretti in the roadway, and then the … agents started moving toward him,” Doar said. “He started retreating at that point.”

An agent shoved a woman, he said, “and while helping the woman off the ground, Mr. Pretti was pepper-sprayed and taken to the ground.

“At least a half-dozen agents closed in, and one agent appeared to be striking Mr. Pretti’s head or toward the upper part of his body.”

Doar said an agent in a gray jacket “moved in and placed his arm in the huddle [of bodies], and it looks like he retrieved a firearm from Mr. Pretti’s waist.”

As the agent with Pretti’s gun started to leave, Doar said, “you hear gunshots, followed by more gunshots.”

The gun rights lobbyist said he’s confident that the gun in the agent’s hand, when compared with the photo of a gun posted on social media by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), are the same.

Based on the videos, Doar concluded, “If Mr. Pretti was disarmed — absent any other evidence of any risk to an officer — I don’t see how deadly force would be justified.”

Doar’s organization learned of FBI Director Kash Patel’s comment on Jan. 25 on Fox News that “you cannot bring a firearm, loaded, with multiple magazines to any sort of protest that you want. It’s that simple. You don’t have a right to break the law.”

Doar’s group countered on X, formerly Twitter: “That is completely incorrect. There is no prohibition on a permit holder carrying a firearm, loaded, with multiple magazines at a protest or rally in Minnesota.”

Under Minnesota law, nongovernmental entities such as churches, businesses, private colleges and nonprofit organizations may prohibit the possession of firearms on their premises. However, they must post signs with specific language in accordance with state law.

A public street, such as where Pretti was when he was shot, is not a prohibited location.

To be eligible for a permit, Minnesota residents must apply to the sheriff of the county where they reside. They must be at least 21 years old and a citizen or permanent U.S. resident. They also must first be trained in the safe use of a handgun and cannot have a criminal record that bars gun possession. Applicants also cannot be listed in Minnesota’s criminal gang investigation system.

Also weighing in on comments after Pretti’s killing was the National Rifle Association (NRA), for decades a powerhouse advocate for the near limitless constitutional right to bear arms.

The NRA spoke up after an assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, Bill Essayli, posted on X:

The NRA called Essayli’s comment “dangerous and wrong. ... Responsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens.”

While observing federal agents’ actions from the other side of Nicollet Avenue, Pretti reportedly was carrying a Sig Sauer 9-millimeter pistol, which is widely popular and frequently carried by U.S. military and law enforcement.

The DHS shared photographs of the gun with its slide retracted, sitting on the seat of a vehicle. Beside it is an ejectable magazine loaded with bullets.