Gun groups break with Trump over Minneapolis
NRA, GOA, and SAF blast the White House over the Alex Pretti shooting. Why the "assassin" narrative is backfiring with the GOP base.
Analysis: The 2A Civil War
The fatal shooting of Alex Jeffrey Pretti — a VA nurse and lawful permit holder — has forced a rare, high-stakes divorce between the Trump administration and its gun-rights bedrock. While the White House initially labeled Pretti an assassin, verified bystander videos show agents disarming the pinned man seconds before the fatal shots.
Now, advocates for gun rights and Second Amendment protections are drawing red lines, warning that if the constitution doesn’t protect a man like Pretti, it doesn’t protect anyone.
The Legal Red Lines
GOA: Guns at protests are a right, not a crime.
NRA: Lawful possession is not “brandishing.”
SAF: Federal agents cannot nullify state carry permits.
Victim: Alex Pretti
Alex Pretti, 37, was a registered nurse at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center. Colleagues describe him as the “kindest soul” who frequently read “final salutes” to dying veterans. On Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, he was documenting federal agents when he stepped in to assist a woman pushed by an officer. Videos show Pretti was holding a phone in his right hand and had his left hand raised when he was pepper-sprayed and tackled.
GOA: ‘No quarter’ for federal infringement
Gun Owners of America (GOA) has taken the most confrontational stance, directly rebuking FBI Director Kash Patel’s claim that guns have no place at protests. GOA Vice President Erich Pratt countered that the Second Amendment “protects Americans’ right to bear arms while protesting,” labeling any federal attempt to criminalize lawful carry as an unconstitutional infringement.
NRA: ‘Dangerous and wrong’
The National Rifle Association was forced into a rare condemnation of a Republican administration after a federal prosecutor suggested approaching police while armed justifies a shooting. The NRA labeled that logic “dangerous and wrong,” asserting that responsible voices must stop “demonizing law-abiding citizens” who exercise their rights.
SAF: Warning of ‘constituency cost’
The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) focused on the electoral fallout. Legal Director William Sack warned that the administration’s shifting narrative is “very likely to cost them dearly” with their base, as the shooting undermines the “good guy with a gun” principle the GOP has championed for decades.
