XPost: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, alt.atheism, talk.politics.misc   
   XPost: talk.politics.guns   
   From: GGT@nowhere.com   
      
   NRA makes rare statement against Trump admin over Alex Pretti shooting   
      
   The National Rifle Association (NRA) criticized comments by a senior   
   federal prosecutor warning that approaching law enforcement with a gun   
   could justify a fatal police response, saying such statements risk   
   "demonizing law-abiding citizens" as the nation reels from the killing of a   
   man in Minneapolis by a U. S. border agent.   
      
   The NRA was responding to remarks by Bill Essayli, the first assistant U.   
   S. attorney for the Central District of California, who said that "if you   
   approach law enforcement with a gun, there is a high likelihood they will   
   be legally justified in shooting you, " adding, "Don't do it. " In a   
   statement, the gun-rights group called that view "dangerous and wrong, "   
   urging public officials to refrain from broad generalizations and to wait   
   for the outcome of a full investigation into Alex Pretti's death.   
      
   The organization has also spoken out against "radical progressive   
   politicians like Tim Walz, " accusing them of inciting "violence against   
   law enforcement officers who are simply trying to do their jobs. "   
      
   Newsweek has contacted Essayli and the NRA, via email outside of normal   
   working hours, for comment.   
      
   The comments highlight tensions between prominent gun-rights advocates and   
   federal officials over when armed presence in public meets legal thresholds   
   for deadly force.   
      
   It comes after 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti was shot and killed by   
   federal immigration officers on Saturday in Minneapolis.   
      
   This is the second fatal shooting involving federal officers in the city   
   within weeks—37-year-old Renee Nicole Good was killed by an Immigration and   
   Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer Jonathan Ross on January 7. There have   
   been widespread daily protests in the Twin Cities since.   
      
   Essayli had shared a post from the DHS about Saturday's shooting with the   
   caption: "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 responded: "This sentiment from the First Assistant U. S. Attorney   
   for the Central District of California is dangerous and wrong. Responsible   
   public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making   
   generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens. "   
      
   Similarly, Gun Owners of America, a gun rights advocacy and lobbying   
   organization, replied to Essayli's post saying it "condemn[s) the untoward   
   comments. "   
      
   "The Second Amendment protects Americans' right to bear arms while   
   protesting—a right the federal government must not infringe upon, " the   
   organization added.   
      
   Essayli hit back, saying the group was "adding words to mischaracterize   
   [his] statement. "   
      
   "I never said it's legally justified to shoot law-abiding concealed   
   carriers. My comment addressed agitators approaching law enforcement with a   
   gun and refusing to disarm, " he said.   
      
   "My advice stands: If you value your life, do not aggressively approach law   
   enforcement while armed, " Essayli added. "If they reasonably perceive a   
   threat and you fail to immediately disarm, they are legally permitted to   
   use deadly force. "   
      
   Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said   
   in a statement that, on Saturday, federal officers were conducting an   
   operation as part of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown and   
   fired "defensive shots" after a man with a handgun approached them and   
   "violently resisted" when officers tried to disarm him. The officer who   
   shot Pretti is an eight-year Border Patrol veteran, federal officials said.   
      
   In a bystander video obtained by the AP, protesters can be heard blowing   
   whistles and shouting profanities at agents on Nicollet Avenue. The video   
   shows an officer shoving a person wearing a brown jacket, who reaches out   
   for a man and the two embrace. The officer shoves the man in his chest and   
   the two fall back.   
      
   The video then shows three officers surrounding the man, soon growing to at   
   least seven officers. One officer appears on the man's back while another   
   strikes him in the chest. As officers try to bring the man's arms behind   
   his back, he appears to resist. An officer with a canister strikes the man   
   near his head several times.   
      
   A shot rings out, though it's not clear where it came from. Multiple   
   officers back off after the shot, more shots are heard, and the man lies   
   motionless on the street.   
      
   The NRA said in a post on X: "For months, radical progressive politicians   
   like Tim Walz have incited violence against law enforcement officers who   
   are simply trying to do their jobs. Unsurprisingly, these calls to   
   dangerously interject oneself into legitimate law-enforcement activities   
   have ended in violence, tragically resulting in injuries and fatalities. As   
   there is with any officer-involved shooting, there will be a robust and   
   comprehensive investigation that takes place to determine if the use of   
   force was justified. As we await these facts and gain a clearer   
   understanding, we urge the political voices to lower the temperature to   
   ensure their constituents and law enforcement officers stay safe. "   
      
   President Donald Trump on Truth Social: "This is the gunman's gun, loaded   
   (with two additional full magazines! ), and ready to go—What is that all   
   about? Where are the local Police? Why weren't they allowed to protect ICE   
   Officers? The Mayor and the Governor called them off? It is stated that   
   many of these Police were not allowed to do their job, that ICE had to   
   protect themselves—Not an easy thing to do! Why does Ilhan Omar have $34   
   Million Dollars in her account? And where are the Tens of Billions of   
   Dollars that have been stolen from the once Great State of Minnesota? We   
   are there because of massive Monetary Fraud, with Billions of Dollars   
   missing, and Illegal Criminals that were allowed to infiltrate the State   
   through the Democrats' Open Border Policy. We want the money back, and we   
   want it back, NOW. "   
      
   Adding: "Those Fraudsters who stole the money are going to jail, where they   
   belong! This is no different from a really big Bank Robbery. Much of what   
   you're witnessing is a COVER UP for this Theft and Fraud. The Mayor and the   
   Governor are inciting Insurrection, with their pompous, dangerous, and   
   arrogant rhetoric! Instead, these sanctimonious political fools should be   
   looking for the Billions of Dollars that has been stolen from the people of   
   Minnesota, and the United States of America. LET OUR ICE PATRIOTS DO THEIR   
   JOB! 12,000 Illegal Alien Criminals, many of them violent, have been   
   arrested and taken out of Minnesota. If they were still there, you would   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)