Death of protester in Minnesota pits pro-gun groups against Trump administration

Thousands of Minnesotans protested Trump’s anti-immigration policies. The shooting death of nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis over the weekend by US Immigration Service (ICE) agents sparked a new wave of protests against Donald Trump’s government. But a specific group has joined in criticizing the Trump administration: the country’s pro-gun associations. ✅ Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp At least two of them condemned statements made by members of the US government that the victim should not have been armed. The situation draws attention because, traditionally, pro-gun associations in the USA are aligned with the Republican Party, which is more resistant to regulating the sale and possession of firearms in the country. The main pro-gun organization in the USA, the National Rifle Association (NRA), spoke indirectly about the case. In responding to a message from California U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, the association said, “Public representatives should await a full investigation rather than making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens.” Protesters paid tribute to Alex Pretti after he was killed by an immigration agent Adam Gray/AP ➡️ The Department of Homeland Security stated that Pretti carried a gun during the protest in which he was shot by immigration agents, but videos that recorded the moment of the shooting do not show the nurse pulling out the object. Government officials publicly defended ICE’s action and criticized the fact that Pretti was armed during the act. “A protest is violent when there is someone who shows up there with weapons,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said after the death. FBI Director Kash Pattel suggested that Pretti should not have been carrying a weapon at the demonstration. “The first thing politicians want to do is blame the gun,” said Taylor Rhodes, spokesperson for the National Gun Rights Association, in a statement to the Wall Street Journal. Rhodes told the publication that he has been armed at hundreds of demonstrations. Kyle Rittenhouse case On social media, users point out that, in the case of Alex Pretti, the Republican Party’s treatment contrasts with that of Kyle Rittenhouse, which occurred in 2020. Rittenhouse was 17 years old in August 2020, when he was armed at an anti-racist demonstration in the city of Kenosha, supposedly to provide support to the city’s police officers against the protesters. He shot and killed two people taking part in the protests, in addition to wounding a third. In his profile photos, he appeared in photos holding weapons and appeared in the front row of a Trump campaign rally for that year’s elections. In November of the following year, Rittenhouse was acquitted by a court, which found that he had acted in self-defense. At the time, Republicans overwhelmingly sided with Rittenhouse, who would be protected by the American Constitution when carrying a gun.

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