A federal agent fatally shot Alex Pretti on a Minneapolis street Saturday, prompting backlash among gun rights advocates and exposing divisions within President Donald Trump’s administration and conservative circles over Second Amendment protections.
Video footage reviewed by multiple outlets appears to show agents removing a concealed firearm from Pretti during the altercation, but does not show him drawing or brandishing the weapon. Pretti was legally permitted to carry a concealed firearm in Minnesota.
At a news conference, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Pretti “attacked those officers, had a weapon on him, and multiple dozens of rounds of ammunition,” and suggested that armed individuals are not peaceful protesters. Noem did not provide evidence to support her claims.
Asked Sunday on Fox News whether it is protocol to use deadly force on a disarmed individual, Noem said, “That’s all part of this investigation.”
Federal officials, including Trump, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, have defended the presence of a firearm as justification for the use of force during the incident.
Gun rights advocates, notably those aligned with the Gun Owners of America, criticized the federal response and disputed claims that Minnesota law prohibits carrying firearms at protests. “There is no prohibition on a permit holder carrying a firearm, loaded, with multiple magazines at a protest or rally in Minnesota,” the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus said in a statement.
Bill Essayli, a federal prosecutor and Trump appointee, drew backlash after writing that armed individuals approaching law enforcement may lawfully be shot, and accused critics of supporting antifa. Aidan Johnston of Gun Owners of America replied, “You can want illegals & criminals off the streets and not want to see [concealed carry] permit holders get executed for ‘approaching’ law enforcement.”
Despite their criticism, groups like Gun Owners of America largely avoided directly challenging Trump or his administration, instead blaming Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, for creating conditions that endangered both citizens and law enforcement.
Walz and other Democratic officials have called for calm, expressing concern over the deployment of federal agents in Minneapolis.
On Fox News, Patel stated, “You cannot bring a firearm, loaded, with multiple magazines to any sort of protest that you want.” Gun rights advocates continue to dispute that interpretation.
Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino said on CNN that Second Amendment rights do not apply when individuals “riot and assault, delay, obstruct and impede law enforcement officers.”
The incident has spurred unusual alliances, with some progressive voices expressing concern over government overreach. “I never thought Donald Trump and Stephen Miller would be the ones to finally force me into being a defender of the 2nd Amendment,” commentator Mehdi Hasan wrote.
Bruce Fein, a constitutional lawyer who served in Republican administrations, said, “It can’t be the case that exercising a right protected by the U.S. Constitution exposes you to killing or arrest,” calling the shooting an example of “vast government overreach.”
For years, conservatives have cited the Second Amendment as a safeguard against government tyranny. Noem herself has previously voiced strong support for gun rights, including signing a law as governor of South Dakota allowing permitless concealed carry.
The current debate has blurred traditional partisan lines, with critics pointing to apparent inconsistency between this use of force and the Trump administration’s broader defense of firearm rights in ongoing Supreme Court cases.
Fein described the controversy as highlighting “hypocrisy” in the administration’s stance on gun rights.
It remains unclear how or whether the Trump administration will reconcile the competing priorities of strong immigration enforcement and Second Amendment protections within its political base.
