The National Rifle Association (NRA) pushed back on President Donald Trump’s statement that Alex Pretti should not have been carrying a gun. The gun-advocacy group urged a full investigation and warned against demonizing law-abiding citizens.
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.
— NRA (@NRA) January 28, 2026
Federal immigration agents shot and killed Pretti in Minneapolis on Jan. 24, 2026. Pretti had a state-issued concealed-carry permit. Video showed Pretti had a gun with him at the protest, but border patrol agents had taken it before he was shot.
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Trump told reporters on Jan. 27, 2026, that people should not walk into protests armed, while Bill Essayli, an Assistant U.S. Attorney in California, wrote on X that approaching law enforcement with a gun justifies being shot. Both of their remarks received backlash.
Observers say the episode reflects deeper political fault lines as gun-rights groups compared it to Kyle Rittenhouse’s actions at a protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin in 2020. Rittenhouse brought an assault rifle to a rally, shooting and killing two people in what he said was self-defense. Rittenhouse was acquitted on all charges by a jury.
