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By Khaleda Rahman
National Correspondent
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FBI Director Kash Patel’s remarks about firearms following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by a federal agent has sparked anger from gun rights advocates.
“You cannot bring a firearm, loaded, with multiple magazines to any sort of protest that you want. It's that simple. You don't have that right to break the law and incite violence,” Patel said during an interview on Fox News on Sunday.
Pretti was a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry, Minnesota officials have said. The 37-year-old intensive care nurse had no criminal record.
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National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR) questioned Patel’s comments in a post on X, writing “carrying a magazine implies nothing" and asserting otherwise "sets dangerous precedent for Second Amendment rights."
The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus also countered Patel’s remarks, writing on X that Patel was “completely incorrect” on Minnesota law. “There is no prohibition on a permit holder carrying a firearm, loaded, with multiple magazines at a protest or rally in Minnesota," it said.
Newsweek contacted NAGR for comment via email and Patel via the FBI outside regular business hours on Monday.
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Why It Matters
The Second Amendment’s protection of gun ownership has emerged as a key issue in the shooting of Pretti.
Gun rights groups have long defended the right to openly carry firearms in public, a stance that Trump and other Republicans have also championed. But the administration’s response to Pretti's death has caused tensions.
The shooting comes less than three after Renee Nicole Good, a mother and U.S. citizen, was shot dead by an ICE agent in Minneapolis amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in the region. Both shootings have sparked widespread protests and condemnation, with local leaders and Democrats demanding federal immigration officers leave Minnesota.
A clip of Patel’s remarks went viral on X, with more than 4 million views by early Monday.
What To Know
Patel's remarks came in response to Sunday Morning Futures' anchor Maria Bartiromo asking for his advice to those taking in part in protests about ICE and Border Patrol's operation in Minneapolis.
Patel pointed to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's response. On Saturday, Noem said Pretti approached immigration officers with a gun and acted violently and that an agent fired “defensive shots.”
"I don't know of any peaceful protester that shows up with a gun and ammunition rather than a sign," she said.
Videos show him holding a phone but he is never seen brandishing a gun, and witnesses said in sworn testimony that he was not brandishing a weapon when he approached federal agents.
On Sunday, National Rifle Association (NRA) criticized comments by a senior federal prosecutor warning that approaching law enforcement with a gun could justify a fatal police response, saying such statements risk "demonizing law‑abiding citizens"
The NRA condemned an assertion by Bill Essayli, the first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, that there is a “high likelihood” that law enforcement would be legally justified in shooting someone who approaches them with a gun.
The NRA said that sentiment was “dangerous and wrong” and urged public officials to await a full investigation and refrain from “making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens.”
The Gun Owners of America, a gun rights advocate and lobbying organzation, described Essayli’s comments as “untoward” and said the Second Amendment “protects Americans’ right to bear arms while protesting — a right the federal government must not infringe upon.”
Essayli hit back at the group’s comments, saying he “never said it’s legally justified to shoot law-abiding concealed carriers. My comment addressed agitators approaching law enforcement with a gun and refusing to disarm.”
What People Are Saying
The National Association for Gun Rights wrote on X: “Carrying an extra magazine implies nothing. Holsters designed to carry spare magazines are common and widely sold. Training resources and guides across the internet actively recommend it. Thousands of law-abiding Americans do this every day. This is standard, not overkill. Claiming otherwise sets a dangerous precedent for Second Amendment rights and creates an easy backdoor argument for magazine bans and similar legislation.”
President Donald Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Saturday: “This is the gunman’s gun, loaded (with two additional full magazines!), and ready to go – What is that all about? Where are the local Police? Why weren’t they allowed to protect ICE Officers? The Mayor and the Governor called them off? It is stated that many of these Police were not allowed to do their job, that ICE had to protect themselves — Not an easy thing to do!”
What Happens Next
Noem said on Sunday that her office would lead the federal investigation into the shooting. Minnesota officials have said the state will conduct its own investigation.
The state, Minneapolis and St. Paul sued the federal government over the deployment of federal immigration agents earlier this month. Local officials urged a federal judge to order a temporarily halt the immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota.
A hearing on the matter is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Monday.
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