On January 24, 2026, a 37-year-old American man — identified by his Family as ICU nurse Alex Pretti — was shot and killed by federal Border Patrol/ICE agents on a Minneapolis street. This wasn’t some chaotic shoot-out with a criminal. This was a peaceful citizen who happened to be armed — legally — killed, probably because federal agents panicked at the sight of his gun. The shooting appears to be unjustified, a direct consequence of heavy-handed government aggression against the citizens of Minneapolis.
The Trump Administration’s preferred narrative is that Pretti “approached officers with a handgun” and resisted attempts to disarm him. According to HHS and DOJ officials, the shooting was “justified” as “defensive.”
But multiple verified videos circulating online paint a very different picture:
And this is important: Minnesota law allows permit holders to carry firearms legally. So here’s a question for President Trump and his friends at the NRA: Is having a holstered weapon just cause for the carrier to be executed?
This incident comes amid a broader federal “Operation Metro Surge” of aggressive immigration enforcement actions in Minneapolis. These actions have already led to at least two previous shootings in recent weeks. Local officials and many protesters see this not as a defensive use of force but as an escalation of violence by federal agents who have no business operating like stormtroopers in American cities. One might argue that this is exactly the type of government aggression that the 2nd Amendment was designed to combat.
You claim to defend the Second Amendment right to bear arms. I presume the right applies to peaceful protestors in a blue city in a blue state.
So I’m asking you directly — no equivocation:
Are you going to condemn this shooting? Or are you going to remain silent while a lawful gun-owner is shot and killed because agents saw a firearm?
Let’s make this crystal clear:
So where are you now?
Does the Second Amendment mean nothing in Minneapolis? Should a holstered firearm have made this man a “threat” to aggressive agents who could and should have de-escalated? Is your allegiance truly to the Constitution — or to political leaders who, while claiming to support the Second Amendment, also exert and applaud the federal aggression it was adopted to oppose? In other words, NRA:
Do you pledge fealty to the Constitution or to Donald Trump?
To any NRA leader reading this:
Comment below, agree to an interview, or do both. Name the time and place — and I’ll show up. I am offering you an opportunity to:
Condemn this shooting loudly.
Condemn this administration’s actions on our cities’ streets.
Tell Americans — without talking points or spin — that legally armed citizens should not be killed just because federal agents see a holstered gun.
Remember the Westerns of our youth — Gunsmoke, Wyatt Earp, Have Gun Will Travel?
In those stories, a lawman might draw in a showdown in the street. But what if the bad guy chose not to draw? He keeps his arms folded and does not go for the weapon.
Would the lawman shoot him anyway? Simply because he was armed?
No. In the wild, wild west, Dillon, Earp, or Palliden respected the rights of citizens, even those who carried weapons.
Leap forward 150 years to Minneapolis, January 24, 2026: Can a man legally carrying a firearm be “justifiably” shot to death while being pinned to the ground? With no evidence that he went for the weapon? Have we backpedaled from the wild, wild west? This shooting was not necessary for law enforcement. It was, at best, panic or, at worst, rogue police misconduct, a travesty, and maybe even cold-blooded murder.
This isn’t just about guns. This is about whether constitutional rights have any meaning to our current federal government or right-leaning Republicans. If lawful carry means you can be shot for holding a gun, then what is the point of the Second Amendment? And how can you support this administration and the Constitution at the same time?
If exercising your Second Amendment right gets you killed by federal agents, then the NRA’s silence isn’t neutrality — it’s complicity. I challenge the NRA — and anyone who claims to stand for the Constitution — to speak out.
Now. Loudly. Publicly. Unambiguously.
Because silence in the face of such deadly government aggression deserves to be called what it is:
Rank hypocrisy.
Mark M. Bello is an attorney and award-winning author of the Zachary Blake Legal Thriller Series, ripped-from-the-headlines, realistic fiction that speaks truth to power and champions the rights of citizens in our justice system. These novels are dedicated to the social justice movement. They educate, spark discussion, and inspire readers to action. One of these novels, Betrayal High, was written in response to school shootings. For more information, please visit www.markmbello.com.
