'Categorically wrong:' NRA, pro-gun groups push back on Trump officials' Minneapolis shooting takes [View all]
Source: Scripps News
Posted 4:27 PM, Jan 26, 2026 and last updated 4:37 PM, Jan 26, 2026
Gun advocacy groups, including the National Rifle Association, pushed back on claims from the Trump administration that the man fatally shot by a federal agent in Minneapolis on Saturday did not have a right to possess a firearm at the protests.
A Border Patrol agent shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti after multiple officers wrestled him to the ground when he was seen filming them clashing with protesters. The Department of Homeland Security said Pretti was shot after he "approached" officers with a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun — but that claim differs from bystander videos of the incident in which Pretti is seen holding a phone.
Family members said Pretti owned a handgun and had a permit to carry a concealed handgun in Minnesota. Videos of the incident show one of the officers removing what appears to be a gun from a holster near Pretti's waist just before gunshots are heard. A top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, posted on social media that, "if you approach law enforcement with a gun, there is a high likelihood they will be legally justified in shooting you."
The post from Bill Essayli drew quick criticism from the NRA, which stated on X that his comments were "dangerous and wrong" and urged officials to resist "making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens."
Read more: https://www.scrippsnews.com/politics/guns/categorically-wrong-nra-pro-gun-groups-push-back-on-trump-officials-minneapolis-shooting-takes
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