Left-leaning and liberal gun advocacy groups say that since the killing of Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse who was gunned down by federal agents in Minneapolis, there has been an uptick in leftists getting armed, according to a report.
In the wake of President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown, which has seen thousands of federal agents descend upon cities across the country, more and more gun-shy liberals are considering buying firearms and taking firearms training courses, according to CNN.
Registrations for permit-to-carry courses at Pink Pistols Twin Cities, a gun group for the LGBTQ+ community in Minneapolis and St. Paul, are up from an average of five people per class to 25, resulting in the need for seven more courses to be added, according to the report.
The apparent spike in interest follows the deaths of Alex Pretti, 37, and Renee Nicole Good, 37, in Minneapolis, at the hands of federal agents. Pretti, an ICU nurse at a Veteran’s medical center, was licensed to carry a concealed weapon in Minnesota and was doing so at the time of his death.
“In the past couple of days, there has been a shift,” Lara Smith, the national spokesperson for the Liberal Gun Club, told CNN. “This changed views on the left.”
Jordan Levine, who founded the inclusive gun community A Better Way 2A, told the outlet his organization has seen an uptick in gun groups and instructors asking to join its resource page in recent weeks.
“People are scared and angry and want to equalize the power imbalance that we’re seeing on the news, where you’ve got ICE steamrolling people with no recourse,” he said.
Philip Smith, the founder and president of the National African American Gun Association, told CNN membership grew after Trump was re-elected and after Pretti was killed.
“People join when they’re scared,” Smith said. “People join when certain people get in office, because it scares them. People join when they see these shootings across the country, and it seems like it’s just madness starting to grow more and more.”
Federal officials initially accused Pretti of “brandishing” his gun at agents, though bystander video painted a different picture. Meanwhile, a new preliminary review by a Department of Homeland Security internal watchdog made no mention of Pretti brandishing a weapon.
In the days after Pretti’s killing, Trump administration officials have asserted that he was in the wrong for carrying a gun to the demonstration — even though he was legally allowed to do so.
“You can’t have guns. You can’t walk in with guns,” the president told reporters on Tuesday.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also shared the talking point in January 26 comments, drawing backlash from some of Trump’s MAGA base, who say the stance goes against the Second Amendment’s right to bear arms.
“While Americans have a constitutional right to bear arms, Americans do not have a constitutional right to impede lawful immigration enforcement operations,” Leavitt said. “Any gun owner knows that when you are carrying a weapon, when you are bearing arms and you are confronted by law enforcement, you are raising the assumption of risk and the risk of force being used against you.”
FBI Director Kash Patel also drew backlash after telling Fox News last week, “You cannot bring a firearm loaded with multiple magazines to any sort of protest that you want.”
The National Rifle Association slammed the Trump administration’s stance, noting on social media that it believes all law-abiding citizens have the right to keep and bear arms.
“The NRA unequivocally believes that all law-abiding citizens have a right to keep and bear arms anywhere they have a legal right to be,” the gun lobby wrote on X following Trump’s remarks.
The NRA also responded to a Justice Department official appointed by the Trump administration who spoke out about Pretti having a weapon after the shooting.
Bill Essayli, the first assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of 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!”
The NRA replied directly to his post, calling his sentiment “dangerous and wrong.”
“Responsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens,” the NRA wrote.
