The left defends the Second Amendment and Trump isn't. Really? | Opinion

The great comedian Dave Chappelle once said, "The First Amendment is first for a reason. Second Amendment is just in case the first one doesn't work out."

There's nothing funny about what's happening in Minneapolis right now, where on Jan. 24, a Border Patrol officer shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen and registered Department of Veterans Affairs nurse, and a legally armed protester.

But Chappelle is right about the importance and authority of the Second Amendment as a means of protection against government tyranny and for self-defense. It's disappointing to see both the killing of Pretti and the Trump administration's knee-jerk, defensive, illogical − and frankly unconstitutional − response, making this tragic event even worse.

The Trump administration smears Alex Pretti for carrying a firearm. What?

Immediately following Pretti's death, the Trump administration made several concerning, sweeping statements about him and the fact that he was carrying a firearm among federal officers.

On X, the Department of Homeland Security said the Border Patrol agent fired "defensive shots" because he was afraid for his life, saying Pretti had a 9mm semiautomatic handgun, two magazines and no ID on him. DHS concluded, "This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement."

I don't know Pretti's motive now, even days later, and there is no way the agents would have known or verified this in the moment. Video footage of the incident does show Pretti interfering with federal officers, which I don't recommend, and seems like poor judgment, but Pretti is also outnumbered by agents and nearly pinned on the ground.

It's hard to tell exactly, but it doesn't appear that Pretti even brandished the firearm at all, as an agent had already disarmed him before he's shot. Perhaps the officer who shot him didn't know he was disarmed. It's hard to say. I still cannot see how the shooting is justified.

Still, Trump's administration immediately started villainizing a legal gun owner.

"I don't know of any peaceful protesters that shows up with a gun and ammunition rather than a sign," Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem said hours after the shooting.

On the "Sunday Morning Futures With Maria Bartiromo" show Jan. 25, FBI Director Kash Patel said, "You cannot bring a firearm, loaded, with multiple magazines to any sort of protest that you want. It's that simple. You don't have that right to break the law."

Noem and Patel could not be more wrong. Their reactionary responses undermine both the existence and the necessity of the Second Amendment itself and the overwhelmingly conservative fight to preserve that right in the public square for decades. Thankfully, even Republicans have called for an investigation into Pretti's killing.

The Gun Owners Caucus of Minnesota also disagreed, posting that Patel was "completely incorrect on Minnesota law. There is no prohibition on a permit holder carrying a firearm, loaded, with multiple magazines at a protest or rally in Minnesota."

On X, the National Rifle Association said, "Responsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens."

I couldn't agree more.

Is the left ready to talk about the Second Amendment now?

Administration officials should know better than to slam the Second Amendment and a person's right to carry a firearm, just to defend or explain an officer's behavior. This has rightly drawn the ire of Democrats.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, compared the killing of Pretti and Kyle Rittenhouse's fatal shooting of two men in 2020. He said Rittenhouse was an armed vigilante heralded a hero by the right and Pretti was a law-abiding nurse now labeled a domestic terrorist. Rittenhouse was acquitted in 2021 of five felonies in the shooting during Black Lives Matter protests in Wisconsin. He claimed self-defense in his testimony.

But Jeffries' comments raise questions about the progressives' sudden shift on guns. The left has been known for being pro-gun control and widely against many gun rights, bolstering their stance against gun violence, sometimes appearing to be against the Second Amendment entirely.

The Rittenhouse case divided America, with conservatives supporting Rittenhouse and liberals saying he acted as a vigilante, even denouncing his not guilty verdict. I'm surprised to see a newfound defense of firearms because Pretti, presumably a leftist protester, was carrying one.

Two things can be true at once: Pretti had every right to protest peacefully with a firearm, as a gun permit holder, and not to expect to get shot and killed. But he also should have considered the consequences of interfering with a federal agent enforcing the law while also carrying a firearm. This is common sense. Minnesota law does require that a person carrying a concealed firearm inform law enforcement, if asked.

I hope this tragedy has helped liberals see what conservatives have been saying about the Second Amendment for decades. And I hope the Trump administration stops undermining a core tenet of the Bill of Rights: They know better.

After all, the Second Amendment is there for a very good reason, and it is no respecter of party or political persuasion. Pretti's killing put that to the test, and the Trump administration failed.

Nicole Russell is an opinion columnist with USA TODAY. She lives in Texas with her four kids. Sign up for her newsletter, The Right Track, and get it delivered to your inbox.