Gun Rights Advocates Want Answers About the Minneapolis Shooting

The Trump administration is defending a federal agent shooting and killing a man in Minneapolis on Saturday in part because the man possessed a firearm.

Gun rights proponents have immediately taken issue with that argument.

Gun Owners of America, a gun-rights organization, said in a statement on social media that a full and transparent investigation by the Justice Department into the facts of the shooting is “essential.”

The organization also questioned comments made by Bill Essayli, first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, who after the shooting posted on X that, “If you approach law enforcement with a gun, there is a high likelihood they will be legally justified in shooting you.”

“Federal agents are not ‘highly likely’ to be ‘legally justified’ in ‘shooting’ concealed carry licensees who approach while lawfully carrying a firearm,” GOA said in the statement, responding directly to Essayli’s post. “The Second Amendment protects Americans’ right to bear arms while protesting — a right the federal government must not infringe upon.”

The National Rifle Association also rebuked Essayli’s comments, saying: “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.”

Essayli later posted “Ignore the Antifa ‘pro-2A’ accounts working overtime to justify violence against law enforcement.”

“Carrying a gun isn’t violence, jackass,” Doug Stafford, a longtime adviser to Sen. Rand Paul, posted in response.

According to state officials, 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a U.S. citizen and intensive care nurse, was shot at 9:03 a.m. in Minneapolis. Bystander video reviewed by local law enforcement appears to show Pretti pinned to the ground by federal officers before multiple shots were fired.

Members of the administration defended the actions of the agent, and claimed Pretti was threatening federal agents with a gun. During a press conference, Customs and Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino stated that an individual approached border patrol agents with a semi-automatic handgun while they were “conducting a targeted operation.” Bovino said that agents were unable to disarm Pretti, leading to an officer firing “defensive shots.”

“This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement,” Bovino said.

Bovino’s version of events does not appear in the videos of the incident that circulated online Saturday.

Other prominent advocates for Second Amendment rights also took to social media on Saturday to respond to the administration’s argument that the victim intended to harm officers.

Dana Loesch, a radio host and former spokesperson for the NRA, questioned Bovino’s conclusion that the victim intended to harm law enforcement because he said he had two loaded magazines and no identification.

“What he has or didn’t have isn’t the issue,” Loesch wrote on X. “What he was doing, with or without it, is the issue. Did he draw on agents? Reach for it? Was it on him? Again, being armed is different from being armed in commission of obstructing federal [law enforcement operations].”

Stephen Gutowski, founder of the firearms publication “The Reload” and former CNN contributor, said on social media that it is “fairly common” for legal firearm carriers to have “extra magazines” with them.

“I don’t see anything abnormal about this loadout,” Gutowski said.

Bryan Strawser, chair of the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, in a statement called for a transparent and independent investigation at the state and federal level.

“Despite widespread speculation regarding intent, there has been no evidence produced indicating an intent to harm the officers,” Strawser said. “Every peaceable Minnesotan has the right to keep and bear arms — including while attending protests, acting as observers, or exercising their First Amendment rights. These rights do not disappear when someone is lawfully armed, and they must be respected and protected at all times.”

The NRA, in a statement on X, blamed Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, and other politicians for “[inciting] violence against law enforcement officials.” The organization also called for an investigation into the shooting.

“As there is with any officer-involved shooting, there will be a robust and comprehensive investigation that takes place to determine if the use of force was justified,” the organization said. “As we await these facts and gain a clearer understanding, we urge the political voices to lower the temperature to ensure their constituents and law enforcement officers stay safe.”

Following the incident, state officials said that they were blocked from investigating the shooting. And dozens of Democrats called for opposing funding for the Department of Homeland Security ahead of next week’s scheduled vote.

Gun control advocates who back tighter restrictions on gun ownership called for the same thing, including Emma Brown, executive director of GIFFORDS, a gun violence prevention group.

“What we’ve seen is DHS and ICE shooting first, killing Americans, and not asking questions,” Brown said in a statement. “There has to be an outside investigation into these shootings. That is the only responsible thing to do.”