“Dangerous and wrong”: Gun rights groups challenge ICE shooting of Alex Pretti

Gun rights groups are taking aim at the Trump administration’s justification for the killing of 37-year-old Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti, calling for a “full investigation” into the shooting.

FBI Director Kash Patel said Pretti’s intentions were to “break the law and incite violence” by bringing a firearm to a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “No one who wants to be peaceful shows up at a protest with a firearm that is loaded with two full magazines,” Patel said on Fox and Friends Sunday.

President Donald Trump referred to Pretti as the “gunman” and Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino called the protest a “riot.”

“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,” he told CNN Sunday.

Pushback has come from corners usually friendly to Trump, including the National Rifle Association. Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli claimed that approaching officers with a gun would create a “high likelihood” that they would be “legally justified in shooting you.” The NRA called the sentiment “dangerous and wrong.”

“Responsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens,” the association said in a statement on X.

This sentiment from the First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California is dangerous and wrong.

Responsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens. https://t.co/9fMz3CL29o

— NRA (@NRA) January 25, 2026

The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus said it was “deeply concerned” and called for a “full and transparent investigation.”

“Despite widespread speculation regarding intent, there has been no evidence produced indicating an intent to harm the officers,” it said in a statement on Saturday. “Every peaceable Minnesotan has the right to keep and bear arms — including while attending protests, acting as observers, or exercising their First Amendment rights.”

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The caucus also called Patel’s comments “completely incorrect.”

“There is no prohibition on a permit holder carrying a firearm, loaded, with multiple magazines at a protest or rally in Minnesota,” it said in a post on social media.