President Trump’s Department of Homeland Security shared a photograph reportedly of the legally licensed handgun worn on the hip of American citizen Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot on a street in Minneapolis by U.S. Border Patrol officers.
DHS claimed on social media “this looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.” Yet many videos that captured the lethal encounter revealed Pretti was holding a phone (not the gun) and had approached a woman who was shoved when an officer threw Pretti to the ground. At no point is Pretti seen approaching officers while holding a gun.
Trump-appointed First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli amplified the DHS report and added: “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!”
Carrying a firearm is not a death sentence, it’s a Constitutionally protected God-given right, and if you don’t understand this you have no business in law enforcement or government. https://t.co/pWPNo9dmLO
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) January 25, 2026
FBI Director Kash Patel also announced that people shouldn’t bring guns to protests, which triggered in response a flood of photos of Kyle Rittenhouse, who was carrying a gun at a protest on the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin in 2021 when he fatally shot two people. Rittenhouse, who claimed self-defense, was at a protest following the shooting of Jacob Blake by a police officer.
Kash Patel today: "You cannot bring a firearm, loaded, with multiple magazines to any sort of protest that you want."
— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) January 25, 2026
Kash Patel in 2021: "This is what Fight with Kash is for. We will help Kyle Rittenhouse." pic.twitter.com/JvTlS0hY7Y
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) replied to Essayli: “Carrying a firearm is not a death sentence, it’s a Constitutionally protected God-given right, and if you don’t understand this you have no business in law enforcement or government.”
Note: The National Rifle Association and Gun Owners of America both criticized Essayli’s comments: The NRA said they were “dangerous and wrong” and called for a full investigation.
The Gun Owners of America wrote: “We condemn the untoward comments of U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli. Federal agents are not ‘highly likely’ to be ‘legally justified’ in ‘shooting’ concealed carry licensees who approach while lawfully carrying a firearm. The Second Amendment protects Americans’ right to bear arms while protesting—a right the federal government must not infringe upon.”
NEW statement to me on the Minneapolis shooting from @GunOwners:
— Emily Jashinsky (@emilyjashinsky) January 24, 2026
"We are saddened by the loss of life in Minneapolis, Minnesota earlier today during a federal law-enforcement operation. Because details remain limited and facts are still emerging, it is essential that the…
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