'I don't like that he had a gun,' Trump says

Trump has faulted Pretti for possessing a gun even though he was carrying it legally and never brandished the weapon when Border Patrol agents confronted him on Jan. 24.

Video suggests Pretti was taken to the ground before federal authorities realized he had a gun on his waist. He was disarmed before two federal agents opened fire. One of the agents yelled "he’s got a gun" multiple times before the shots rang out.

Trump declined to characterize Pretti as an "assassin" or a "domestic terrorist" ‒ labels used by his Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem ‒ when pressed by reporters during a Jan. 27 trip to Iowa. But Trump added that "certainly he shouldn't have been carrying a gun.”

"I don't like that he had a gun. I don't like that he had two fully loaded magazines. That's a lot of bad stuff," the president said.

Before Trump weighed in publicly, administration officials enraged gun rights advocates in the immediate aftermath of the shooting by seizing on Pretti's possession of a gun.

Hours after the shooting, Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli in Southern California wrote on X, "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!"

Other top Trump administration officials said guns don't belong at protests. "No one who wants to be peaceful shows up at a protest with a firearm that is loaded with two full magazines," FBI Director Kash Patel said Jan. 25 on FOX News’ "Sunday Morning Futures." "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."

Noem said, "I don’t know of any peaceful protester that shows up with a gun and ammunition rather than a sign.”

This is the guy who said "Take the guns first, due process second" last term and the 2A humpers didn't even notice.

Rittenhouse was among the gun rights advocates who doubled down on the right to carry in the wake of Pretti's death. "Carry everywhere. It is your right. #ShallNotBeInfringed," Rittenhouse wrote on X.

The NRA called the post from Essayli "dangerous and wrong."

Gun rights group: 'The President is simply wrong'

Yet Trump's latest comments are the most pointed yet from the administration ‒ and they come directly from the president.

"The President is simply wrong," Dudley Brown, president of the National Association for Gun Rights, said in a statement. "While we agree you can’t interfere with law enforcement, you absolutely have the right to carry the tools for self-defense while lawfully protesting. In fact, that’s precisely the kind of place where exercising that right matters most."

Brown added: "Unfortunately, this isn’t just a misstatement by the President; it reflects a broader problem with the messaging of other highly ranked Administration officials."

Republicans across the country have pushed state laws that allow the open carry of firearms in public places without permits. There are no signs that Trump plans to push any changes to gun rights at the federal level. And Republicans in Congress aren't expected to start endorsing Democratic measures to overhaul gun laws.

Still, gun rights groups are now watching Trump's actions and words perhaps more closely than ever before.

"Recent events in Minnesota underscore a recurring and deeply troubling theme: Government officials and commentators treating natural rights as privileges," the Firearms Policy Coalition said in a statement.

"President Trump and his Administration—much like the anti-carry states we fight every day—must remember that government exists only by the consent of the governed, and that our rights are not subordinate to their policy preference," the group said.

>>1484867
I love this angle. The 2A horseshit is ridiculous.
No one who cares about 2a cares about a dead faggot protesting to keep illegals carrying a gun.
Every gun owner knows he got what he asked for.

>>1484872
You mentioned that no one who cares about 2A cares about this. Does that include the gun groups like NRA, GOA, and Firearms Policy Coalition that were criticizing Trump's dismissal?

>>1484878
Do you see any gun owners protesting or giving a shit about this man?

>>1484880
That's an interesting point. When those major gun advocacy organizations issue official statements criticizing the dismissal, does that not count as "giving a shit," or do they cease to represent gun owners when their stance becomes inconvenient?

>>1484867
I mean he's right. so who are the lefties going to side with trump or the NRA
the cognitive dissonance is going to drive them insane!!

>>1484878
ahh yes because the NRA is going to love advocating for terrorists to use guns against law enforcement in "peaceful" protests

>>1484885
Only if paying lipservice is "giving a shit".

>>1484867
Trump has had to be tard wrangled on guns more than once, but he's right that armed agitators shouldn't be attacking police.

>ITT liggerals give up their century old history of being anti-gun
It's about time. I wonder what other things dRumpf can get you to advocate for that you previously thought unimaginable.
You've already shunned taxes, now guns? I'm amused. Are you?

>>1484902
Why are you flagrantly and maliciously lying about that nurse?

>>1484906
Dude had AIDS anyway. He only had a month to live.

>>1484900
>Only if paying lipservice is "giving a shit"
Gives lip service to tRumps anti 2ndA penis.

N'YUCK N'YUCK

>>1484910
You know the best part about Trump and why we like him? You do and you made it into a joke.
TACO. dRumpf will TACO his little ass off if his voters start getting annoyed. You wish you had a president that did what you wanted or do you literally want Democrats fucking up? How much do you hate your country and it's people?

>>1484908
More Republican lies as usual.

>>1484908
What kind of alternate reality do you morons live in?

>>1484867
Reminder the greatest danger of an ICE agent getting shot was when they filmed a promo with Kristi Noem where she had a fucking rifle pointed at one of their heads and was too retarded to realize it.

That and them slipping on literal ice while armed.

>>1484928
>>1484938
The real reality where a male nurse, dog mom with AIDS decided to go out in a blaze of glory.

Trump is the biggest liberal that has ever lived.
Of course he hates guns and blames them as if they're persons.

>>1484867
See? He's a liberal, just like the rest of the GOP. Yes, the GOP is liberal and does the EXACT SAME THINGS THAT DEMOCRATS DO.
I was a Republican decades ago and my "fellow" repubs did all they could to push liberalism. The wife of the head of the GOP in WA State is an avowed socialist. lol wake up.
We The People are on our own.

>>1484896
>so who are the lefties going to side with trump or the NRA
https://dpo.org/caucuses/gun-owners-caucus/
Reality gives the answer that proves MAGAts' opinions wrong.
Pretti legally carrying caused ICE-IS to go more than insane: but become murderous.
>Greg Bullshit thrown under the bus
>>1485357
Ross is living in interesting times. May you join him soon, all those in ICE-IS.

It's crazy how much these people are willing to give up and compromise for over a narcistic pedophile that doesn't care about them whatsoever.

>>1484896
Is your brain so fucking tiny that you think that trying to stop school shootings is the same thing as trying to destroy the second amendment? I just want to understand where this narrative of "The left want to take your guns" came from. Do you LIKE children being slaughtered to assault rifles?

>>1485565
Almost everything ESL shill believes is easily disprovable lies
You can honestly ignore almost everything they say as drug induced delusions

>>1485565
The problem is the fact that individuals want to slaughter children not that there are means available to do so

>>1484867
Trump also shit his pants live on camera: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_6kGluvINg&t=34s

Susie Wiles leaked the deets

>>1485583
Okay. We want to stop that. We also need to insure we do it in a way that doesn't impose on rights. Its a complicated problem and there's at least WAYS to mitigate it. But there has never ever been a sincere left attempt to take your guns away.

>>1485615
Tell that to the people living in Colorado and Virginia facing imminent gun bans.

>>1485583
>The problem is the fact that individuals want to slaughter children not that there are means available to do so

Okay, cool. So why does this problem not exist at this rate in any other developed nation?

>>1485627
50% of Americans are on SSRIs

>>1485615
You might think you’re taking the reasonable position but the situation in our country is already far worse than how it should be regarding gun rights. I mean look no further than the situation in Minnesota. Carrying a gun essentially makes you a criminal.
>>1485627
America has a ton of unique social and economic issues. You might as well ask why Europe doesn’t get tornados and blame it on guns.

>>1485664
If you're on the governments side, you're more than welcome to have a gun. But if you're not excited about everything they do, or are insane enough to think you have the 'right' to protest and yell against them, well, you clearly don't need those guns you silly domestic terrorist. Doesn't matter left or right, they all slap the same labels at you to justify execution if they feel you deserve it.

>>1484872
You are totally absolutely wrong. Gun owners know that if you shoot the faggot for just having a gun in public they are next. That is why every single gun advocacy group is going crazy over this. Fucking die in a fire you fucking shill.

>>1484880
Yes in fact. I saw a lot of 2A gun rights guys the very next day out protesting in Omaha NE.

>>1484867
congrats, you now live under the Russian constitution

>>1485904
There's not a single "gun advocacy group is going crazy over this". Pretty isn't dead because he had a gun. He's dead because he was a communist agitator that stalked, impededed, and physically attacked law enforcement. Armed criminals are shot and killed all of the time in the course of duty.

>>1484867
This guy never liked the 2A, he folded on it in 2018 too

>>1484869
literally every red flag law was passed by dems and biden and garland argued in front of the scotus that cops should just be allowed to enter people's homes without a warrant and take their guns based on the individual cop's discretion
>>1484867
>>1485565
literally every single dem/leftist wants a complete gun ban and confiscation. Zordon, the mayor if New York, tweeted about wanting a complete gun ban. literally every major gun law in US history was passed by dems
it's an ideological thing. leftists dont want people to be able to revolt against the oligarchs

>>1485615
>But there has never ever been a sincere left attempt to take your guns away.
lmao. all dems do is lie. I vote straight ticket gop in every election because dems are anti gun. I dont even look at the dems' platform. all I do is check if the Republican is anti gun and if he or she isn't anti gun I vote for him or her and if he or she is anti gun I write in "second amendment".
dems dont even believe the 2nd amendment refers to an individual right. obongo, brandon, Clinton and harris all stated they dont agree with the Heller decision

>>1486042
>I vote straight ticket gop in every election because dems are anti gun
>straight ticket gop
Hi gun schizo shill proven to not be an American.
All >>1486042 does is lie. Therefore all its opinions are disregarded and will be thrown into the trash.

>>1486042
Same. Will never vote dem as long as they're anti gun

>>1486042
So... you don't look at the dems platform.... but you somehow know they're all anti-gun...

You sound like kind of a dumbass...

>>1486069
damn the tranny bot is mad as fuck
>>1486107
based
>>1486118
name a single pro gun dem. they literally dont even agree with heller.

>>1486122
Jon Tester, Democratic Senator from Montana, openly pro-gun.

Suck a dick, dipshit.

Come and take it, kike faggot.

>>1484867
He shit all right.

>>1486122
Not beating the non-American gun schizo allegations then. You're just too obvious, foreign lolcow of /news/ that's always reduced to projection and lies when you're called out. Also:
https://dpo.org/caucuses/gun-owners-caucus/
My, but reality just keeps on proving your opinions wrong, just as >>1486202 does.
But then, you would know about these facts if you were American, so thanks again for proving that you'll never be a citizen of USA, shill. You will never be a man, because you'll never own an actual gun.
>Democratic Party of Oregon Gun Owners Caucus
After what happened in Minneapolis to an actual American who was a legal carrying citizen, I bet the NRA will start supporting the Democrats instead of Trump & his GOP.

>>1486202
tester is extremely anti gun, you gay retard. he has a D from the NRA and he voted to give biden the power to make secret government lists with ZERO oversight or due process where everyone on the list would be banned from owning guns. he also took money from the brady pac, and anti gun group and voted to ban private sales and opposed bruen
all you dems do is lie
>>1486220
the democrat party of Oregon recently passed some of the strictest gun laws in the nation you fucking retarded nonAmerican bot
all you anti gun faggots can do is lie because you know your position is indefensible. all dems are extremely and gun. this is why I won't vote for dems, they are anti gun, they lie and they are run by China

>gay
>faggots
>>1486202
The projecting non-American 1486257 does indeed suck dicks.

>>1486257
>extremely and gun
>and
You're extremely anti-English. And will never own an actual gun, because you aren't American.

>>1484867
>>1484872
I'd expect to be shot if I harassed law enforcement while carrying, sure, but there's no reason for the White House to go further and claim that having a gun or spare magazines at all while a protest is a sign of criminal intent and that you can't do it. There's just no reason to say that unless you are, on some level, hostile to 2A. Trump already has a bad record re: gun control given his bump stock ban in his first term, so this just further cements that he can't be trusted on this issue. I'm not sure if it'll move the needle much in November, but it could compound if he keeps shitting on the part of his power coalition that's libertarians who got tired of losing elections. I have no idea why he's doing this unless he's just kind of retarded.

>>1484867
>The Republican Party is against firearms.
>The Republican Party has always been against firearms.