{"id":390128,"date":"2026-01-25T19:09:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T19:09:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/390128\/"},"modified":"2026-01-25T19:09:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T19:09:09","slug":"nra-and-pro-gun-groups-call-for-full-investigation-into-killing-of-alex-pretti-nra","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/390128\/","title":{"rendered":"NRA and pro-gun groups call for \u2018full investigation\u2019 into killing of Alex Pretti | NRA"},"content":{"rendered":"

The National Rifle Association (NRA<\/a>) has joined other gun lobbying and advocacy groups that are typically aligned with Donald Trump<\/a> in calling for the Republican president\u2019s administration to conduct a \u201cfull investigation\u201d into the killing of Alex Pretti<\/a>, the 37-year-old nurse who was shot dead by federal immigration officials in Minneapolis<\/a> on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Pretti was reportedly legally permitted to carry a gun and is a citizen of the US, where it is a constitutional right to bear arms. Widely circulated video<\/a> of his shooting death does not depict<\/a> him ever holding a gun. It does show an officer reaching to Pretti\u2019s lower back and stepping away with what appeared to be a pistol \u2013 and Pretti being subsequently shot to death.<\/p>\n

The NRA<\/a> waded into the national dialogue over Pretti\u2019s killing after Bill Essayli \u2013 who was appointed by Trump to temporarily serve as a US attorney in California in 2025 \u2013 posted on social media: \u201cIf you approach law enforcement with a gun, there is a high likelihood they will be legally justified in shooting you.\u201d<\/p>\n

In response, the NRA posted: \u201cThis sentiment \u2026 is dangerous and wrong. Responsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gun Owners of America, a non-profit lobbying organization, also criticized that claim from Essayli \u2013 who is now an acting first assistant US attorney for California\u2019s central federal district court.<\/p>\n

\u201cFederal agents are not \u2018highly likely\u2019 to be \u2018legally justified\u2019 in \u2018shooting\u2019 concealed carry licensees who approach while lawfully carrying a firearm,\u201d the group posted<\/a>. It added that the US constitution\u2019s second amendment \u201cprotects Americans\u2019 right to bear arms while protesting \u2013 a right the federal government must not infringe upon.\u201d<\/p>\n

California governor Gavin Newsom\u2019s press office responded<\/a> to the NRA\u2019s criticism of Essayli, saying on social media, \u201cWow. Even the NRA thinks Trump\u2019s [justice department] stooge in California has gone too far for claiming federal agents were \u2018legally justified\u2019 to kill Alex Pretti.\u201d<\/p>\n

Newsom\u2019s press office added<\/a>: \u201cYour position is truly horrible when even the NRA calls you out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Essayli in turn claimed: \u201cYou\u2019re adding words to mischaracterize my statement.\u201d He argued that he meant \u201cagitators approaching law enforcement with a gun and refusing to disarm\u201d risked being justifiably shot by officers.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, Essayli\u2019s post <\/a>received a community note on X which said the US constitution prohibits \u201cofficers from shooting citizens merely for possessing a weapon that is not an \u2018imminent threat\u2019\u201d. Beside the second amendment, the community note alluded to the constitution\u2019s fourth amendment rights against unreasonable search and seizure and its 14th amendment rights to equal protection under the law.<\/p>\n

Yet Essayli also posted: \u201cMy advice stands. If you value your life, do not aggressively approach law enforcement while armed. If they reasonably perceive a threat and you fail to immediately disarm, they are legally permitted to use deadly force.\u201d<\/p>\n

Former NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch, who has generally been supportive of Trump, also pushed back on Essayli, stating <\/a>on social media: \u201cYour words verbatim were \u2018if you approach law enforcement with a gun.\u2019 What does this mean to you? Do you believe that mere legal possession within the vicinity of [law enforcement officer] is a criminal offense or merits use of force as response? Language matters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thomas Massie, a Republican US representative of Kentucky, separately wrote to Essayli: \u201cCarrying a firearm is not a death sentence, it\u2019s a Constitutionally protected God-given right, and if you don\u2019t understand this you have no business in law enforcement or government.\u201d<\/p>\n

Witnesses stated<\/a> in sworn testimonies that Pretti was not brandishing a gun when federal immigration officers descended on him. Those statements are both consistent with publicly available video evidence and contradict the Trump administration\u2019s claims that the shots officers aimed at Pretti were defensive in nature.<\/p>\n

Among those to call for a criminal investigation into Pretti\u2019s killing was Newsom\u2019s office, saying one was necessary for the public to \u201cfully understand what occurred and maintain confidence in the rule of law\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus issued a similar call.<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite widespread speculation regarding intent, there has been no evidence produced indicating an intent to harm the officers,\u201d the group stated in a press release<\/a>. \u201cWe are calling for a full and transparent investigation by both state and federal authorities.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery peaceable Minnesotan has the right to keep and bear arms \u2013 including while attending protests, acting as observers, or exercising their first amendment rights\u201d to peaceably assemble.<\/p>\n

The caucus\u2019 statement continued: \u201cThese rights do not disappear when someone is lawfully armed, and they must be respected and protected at all times.\u201d<\/p>\n

The caucus then took verbal aim at FBI director Kash Patel after he appeared on Sunday on Fox News and asserted with respect to Pretti: \u201cYou cannot bring a firearm, loaded, with multiple magazines to any sort of protest that you want. It\u2019s that simple. You don\u2019t have a right to break the law.\u201d<\/p>\n

To Patel, the caucus replied on social media: \u201cThere is no prohibition on a permit holder carrying a firearm, loaded, with multiple magazines at a protest or rally in Minnesota.\u201d<\/p>\n

When a user told the caucus that Pretti was accused of not having an ID on him, which he was required to do under Minnesota\u2019s law governing permits to carry a concealed gun, the caucus responded: \u201cIt\u2019s a $25 ticket.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among those who donated<\/a> to Essayli \u2013 who held a seat in California\u2019s state assembly from 2023 to April \u2013 was the NRA.<\/p>\n

Notably, while successfully campaigning for a second presidency in 2024, Trump publicly said to an audience that \u201cyour guns will be confiscated\u201d if he lost to election rival Kamala Harris.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re gonna confiscate your guns,\u201d Trump said<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m the one that\u2019s protecting\u201d them. He also bragged about having \u201cthe total endorsement of every gun group, including the NRA\u201d.<\/p>\n

Harris later said at a debate with Trump: \u201cWe\u2019re not taking anybody\u2019s guns away.\u201d The NRA responded<\/a> with a statement declaring Trump was correct in saying Harris supported gun confiscation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The National Rifle Association (NRA) has joined other gun lobbying and advocacy groups that are typically aligned with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":390129,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[49,50,51,47,52,48],"class_list":{"0":"post-390128","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-headlines","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-top-news","11":"tag-top-stories","12":"tag-topnews","13":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=390128"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390128\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/390129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=390128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=390128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=390128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}