The National Rifle Association (NRA) made a firm statement in defense of the Second Amendment after President Donald Trump doubled down on his remarks that Alex Pretti, the VA nurse killed by federal agents in Minneapolis, shouldn’t have been carrying a gun. (Pretti, 37, has been described by police as a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry, and in videos of his final moments, he is not seen holding the gun during his encounter with officers.)
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“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,” said the NRA on Tuesday night.
Earlier in the day, during a visit to a restaurant in Iowa, Trump was asked by a reporter whether he agrees with the assessment made by some within his Administration who characterized Pretti as a “domestic terrorist.” Trump responded: “I haven’t heard that, but certainly shouldn’t have been carrying a gun.”
He went on to refer to the death of Pretti, a U.S. citizen, as a “very unfortunate incident,” before reiterating: “I don’t like that he had a gun. I don’t like that he had two fully loaded magazines. That’s a lot of bad stuff. And despite that, I’d say that’s… very unfortunate.”
Trump had also commented on Pretti’s handgun hours earlier when departing the White House. In brief remarks to reporters, he said: “You know, you can’t have guns. You can’t walk in with guns. You just can’t.”
The clash between the NRA and Trump—who have previously shared a harmonious relationship—did not go unnoticed by the President’s opposition.
“Trump’s lost the NRA,” Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in response to the gun rights advocacy group’s nighttime statement. The Democrat Party’s official social media account also joined the discourse. Alongside a clip of Trump speaking to reporters, they wrote: “GOP President: You can’t have guns.”
Trump’s remarks regarding firearms since the death of Pretti have stirred major concerns among his GOP base, the majority of whom are staunch defenders of the Second Amendment.
The Department of Homeland Security has focused a lot of its attention on the registered gun that Pretti had tucked in his waistband, even publishing a photo of the firearm shortly after his death.
Others within the Trump Administration have also targeted Pretti for having a handgun.
Echoing remarks made by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, FBI Director Kash Patel said: “No one who wants to be peaceful shows up at a protest with a firearm that is loaded with two full magazines. That is not a peaceful protest.”
The National Association for Gun Rights hit back at Patel’s comments. “Carrying an extra magazine implies nothing,” the group argued. “Claiming otherwise sets a dangerous precedent for Second Amendment rights and creates an easy backdoor argument for magazine bans and similar legislation.”
Noem has been widely criticized for her response to not only Pretti’s killing, but also that of Renee Good, another 37-year-old U.S. citizen who was fatally shot by federal agents in Minneapolis on Jan. 7 amid Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Of Pretti, Noem said he “approached Border Patrol officers with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun” and “reacted violently” when officers attempted to disarm him. Echoing remarks made by Homeland Security adviser Stephen Miller, she accused Pretti of perpetrating “the definition of domestic terrorism.”
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told press: “I don’t have any evidence that I’ve seen that suggests the weapon was brandished.” Footage of Pretti’s final moments shows him being sprayed with a substance and pinned down to the ground by federal agents.
Citing major concerns over the immigration enforcement in Minneapolis and the discrepancies between the DHS’ account of what happened over the weekend and the video footage from the scene that has since gone viral, Democrats are calling for the impeachment of Noem.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Tuesday told Trump to fire Noem “immediately” or else Democrats “will initiate impeachment proceedings” against her.
Calls for Noem to leave her role have even been supported by some within Trump’s own party, with Republicans Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina urging Noem to step down.