«You can’t have guns»: The NRA Turns Against Trump

Pretti was a lawful concealed-carry permit holder and video evidence does not show him drawing or threatening officers before being shot.

The NRA has sharply rebuked federal officials’ comments as “dangerous and wrong,” defending the Second Amendment rights of lawful gun owners and urging a full investigation into the incident, as broader debate grows over gun rights and law enforcement use of force under the Trump administration.

The National Rifle Association publicly broke with the Trump administration’s narrative, writing on X that «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 statement came as the administration intensified efforts to characterize Alex Pretti as a violent extremist, with officials pushing to frame him as a “domestic terrorist” despite video evidence showing he never drew his weapon.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and FBI Director Kash Patel echoed that stance, asserting that «No one who wants to be peaceful shows up at a protest with a firearm that is loaded with two full magazines.» White House adviser Stephen Miller went further, claiming that «Pretti came to ‘massacre’ cops», language that has sharply escalated criticism over the administration’s handling of the case.

The NRA’s statement came the same day Donald Trump doubled down on his remarks about the shooting, describing it as a «very unfortunate incident» but insisting, «You know, you can’t have guns.

You can’t walk in with guns. You just can’t.»

Trump later added, «I don’t like that he had a gun.» and «I don’t like that he had two fully loaded magazines.», comments that prompted criticism from other gun-rights organizations.

The National Association for Gun Rights responded on X, stating, «Carrying an extra magazine implies nothing.» and adding that «Thousands of law-abiding Americans do this every day. This is standard, not overkill.» The group concluded by warning, «Claiming otherwise sets a dangerous precedent for Second Amendment rights and creates an easy backdoor argument for magazine bans and similar legislation.»