Their reason for gun ownership isn’t the same as ours. Targeting ICE agents enforcing immigration laws and murdering political opponents are their reasons.
Gun ownership has surged in Minneapolis and the surrounding Hennepin County since the unrest following the 2020 death of George Floyd and the crime wave that accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Applications for permits to carry firearms in Hennepin County — which let Minnesotans carry a gun openly or concealed — nearly tripled in the years after 2020.
New gun owners came from across the political spectrum, including residents who previously opposed gun culture. Alex Pretti was among them.
Pretti was legally carrying a concealed 9 mm handgun last week in Minneapolis last month he protested against federal agents, according to the report.
Videos circulated on social media showing Pretti filming the agents before a confrontation unfolded on Jan. 24.
Agents appeared to deploy a chemical irritant at Pretti and another individual.
Moments later, Pretti was on the ground surrounded by several agents.
Video analysis by the Journal indicated that one agent appeared to remove a handgun from Pretti before he was shot at least 10 times.
On Friday, the Trump administration said it was expanding its investigation into Pretti’s killing, including a review of evidence related to his firearm.
Pretti’s status as a lawful gun owner — despite his opposition to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and his support for Democrat causes — has scrambled traditional political alignments, the report said.
Gun-rights groups have pushed back on the Trump administration’s response, objecting to suggestions that Pretti should not have been armed at the protest.
His case highlights a striking reversal in a city long dominated by liberal politics.
Minneapolis remains overwhelmingly Democrat, but attitudes toward firearms shifted dramatically after 2020 — the same year city leaders and activists embraced the “defund the police” movement.
As protests spiraled into riots and widespread looting, and as police staffing plunged amid political pressure and morale collapse, many residents — including white, left-leaning homeowners who had supported cutting police budgets — concluded they could no longer depend on law enforcement for basic public safety.
As a result, firearm ownership became more common, even among liberals who once opposed it, according to the Journal.
That shift is visible across the city. A gun store catering specifically to left-leaning customers opened in South Minneapolis, a progressive neighborhood, reflecting a growing market for liberal gun owners, the report said.
Several left-leaning gun groups have also become more active.
After Pretti’s killing, the Liberal Gun Club, which has a Minnesota chapter, issued a statement declaring that “the right to keep and bear arms is fundamental” and called for a thorough investigation.
Facts:
Pretti interfered with the arrest of a felon.
He was a violent anti-ICE thug who brought a 9MM Sig with two extra magazines to a “peaceful protest”.
He resisted arrest.
The federal agent saw a direct threat, forcing him to pull his weapon FAST. He was reacting to what was right in front of him.
Pretti was still fighting and moving even after the first shot was fired.
Carrying a legal firearm is not a crime. Obstructing a law enforcement operation is a crime. He did that while armed.
Sucks to be him.
Related posts:
https://sfcmac.com/dems-anti-ice-leftists-protect-child-rapists-and-murderers/
https://sfcmac.com/armed-anti-ice-terrorist-taken-out-by-ice-during-seizure-of-minneapolis/