Latest Minnesota ICE shooting puts new twist on gun rights debate in US
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Protesters gathering in downtown Minneapolis on Jan 25 demanding that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) leave Minnesota following the fatal shooting of Mr Alex Pretti by ICE agents.
PHOTO: AFP
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WASHINGTON – The fatal shooting of Mr Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse
President Donald Trump’s administration and law enforcement agencies under him have justified the shooting on the grounds that Mr Pretti was carrying a handgun and acting aggressively when he became entangled with agents during protests against Mr Trump’s immigration crackdown.
“We can’t have individuals that are impeding law enforcement operations and then showing up with guns and weapons and no ID, and confronting law enforcement,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on morning show Fox News Sunday.
“That is one of the reasons that we see situations like this unfold,” she added.
FBI chief Kash Patel echoed those comments.
“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,” Mr Patel, a close Trump loyalist, said on Jan 25 on Fox.
At least one high-profile politician from the opposition Democrats, as well as gun rights advocacy groups – who normally stand on opposite sides of the debate – criticised Trump administration officials for that justification.
The shooting has led to a reversal of sorts in the usual debate around the right to own and carry guns in the country. Republican officials normally are staunch defenders of gun rights, while Democrats have traditionally fought against the spread of firearms and gun violence in the US.
Constitutional protection
The Second Amendment to the US Constitution stipulates that “the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed”. For decades, it has been the subject of intense controversy.
The US Supreme Court has repeatedly reaffirmed this right and the right to carry a weapon in public.
In 2023, nearly a third of Americans said they owned a firearm, according to a Pew Research Center survey.
Mr Pretti was one of those gun owners, and legally so, according to Minneapolis Police chief Brian O’Hara, who stated that the nurse had no criminal record.
‘Maximum damage’
But for the Trump administration, Mr Pretti’s firearm possession was a critical factor leading to shots fired by Border Patrol agents
Shortly after the shooting, the Department of Homeland Security posted a photo of a handgun, presented as the one found on Mr Pretti.
Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino said on Jan 24 that “this looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement”.
Mr Bill Essayli, a federal prosecutor in California, said on social media platform X that “if you approach law enforcement with a gun, there is a high likelihood they will be legally justified in shooting you. Don’t do it!”.
‘God-given right’
Such statements were condemned by several gun rights advocacy groups, including the Gun Owners of America, which rejected the notion that the police were justified in shooting people who were legally carrying a firearm.
“The Second Amendment protects Americans’ right to bear arms while protesting – a right the federal government must not infringe upon,” the group posted on X.
The National Rifle Association (NRA) called Mr Essayli’s remarks “dangerous and wrong”.
“Responsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making generalisations and demonising law-abiding citizens,” the NRA, a powerful pro-gun lobby group, said on X.
A rare dissenting voice in the Republican camp of politicians, Representative Thomas Massie, joined in on criticising federal law enforcement.
“Carrying a firearm is not a death sentence, it’s a constitutionally protected God-given right,” the congressman, a regular Trump critic, said on X. “If you don’t understand this, you have no business in law enforcement or government.”
Mr Gavin Newsom, California’s Democratic governor, also slammed various officials who justified the agents’ actions in Minneapolis.
“The Trump administration does not believe in the Second Amendment,” Mr Newsom, widely considered a potential 2028 presidential candidate, posted on X.
“Good to know.” AFP
