Lawmaker calls Pretti shooting an injustice, points to NRA statement as validation

By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributor
The Center Square

(The Center Square) – In a video circulating on social media, Illinois state Rep. Bob Morgan seized on comments from the National Rifle Association regarding the controversial shooting of Alex Pretti.

Morgan claimed the NRA’s statement validated his criticism of the Trump administration.

Morgan noted he had never agreed with the NRA until now.

“But here we are, seeing the NRA, this extremist organization, acknowledging what we already know: that this Trump administration murder of Alex Pretti is wrong. It’s an injustice that we all have to stand united against. Even a broken clock like the NRA can be right twice a day.”

Pretti, a Minnesota resident, was fatally shot by federal immigration enforcement agents in Minneapolis on Jan. 24. The incident, captured on multiple videos, has sparked a national debate over civil liberties, law enforcement conduct and gun rights.

However, critics like John Boch, executive director of Guns Save Life, argue that Morgan and others on the left are selectively using the NRA’s statement while ignoring the facts.

“I don’t know any gun owners that are saying this was a bad shoot, at least not ones who can look at something dispassionately and analyze whether it was a righteous shooting or not,” Boch told TCS.

Boch also disputed claims that Pretti was targeted simply for carrying a firearm. He noted that Trump’s comments about protesters not carrying guns, which the NRA publicly rebuked, have contributed to confusion over the incident.

“Whether carrying a firearm is legal depends on the state laws and whether it’s part of an organized protest,” Boch said.

Unlike Minnesota, Illinois generally prohibits carrying firearms at organized demonstrations, even for licensed gun owners.

Boch advised that anyone carrying firearms should use common sense and avoid dangerous situations.

“Don’t put yourself in stupid places with stupid people, or you might win stupid prizes if they do stupid things,” he said.

He explained that Pretti was shot because he attempted to resist arrest and threatened federal agents, not simply because he possessed a gun.

“This incident is a litmus test of people’s attitudes toward the rule of law and law enforcement,” Boch said. “If you support the rule of law, you look at this case dispassionately and ask whether it meets the legal standard for self-defense.”

Boch said attempts by lawmakers to frame the incident as political violence ignore the legal standard officers must follow in real time.

“The law doesn’t demand perfection,” he said. “It demands reasonableness. And under that standard, this was a very reasonable use of force to end an imminent threat.”