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Rights Come With Weight
The shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis is already caught in the usual political tug-of-war. One side sees federal agents using excessive force. The other sees officers making decisions in a state of chaos. Both arguments are loud and incomplete. Before anything else, this was a tragedy. A man is dead. A family is grieving. His loved ones remain in my prayers. That reality should not get lost in the political noise.
Another angle deserves attention: responsible gun ownership. I am not a detached observer. I am a trained and licensed concealed carrier and spent more than a decade as a California POST-certified Reserve Deputy Sheriff. I received extensive firearms training and repeated instruction on how to behave in tense, fast-moving situations. Those lessons are directly relevant here.
Start with a basic point. If Pretti was carrying lawfully, he was exercising a constitutional right. Some states require a permit; others do not. The right to keep and bear arms does not disappear because someone is in a city, at a protest, or amid political tension. Lawful carry is lawful carry. But being legally armed and being a responsible armed citizen are not the same. That distinction concerns personal judgment and training, not adding new laws or weakening the right.
When You Carry, You Change The Stakes
One of the first principles serious instructors teach is simple: if you carry a loaded handgun, any situation you enter now includes a loaded handgun, even if it never leaves the holster. That reality changes how others assess risk, especially law enforcement. This is not about blame. It is about how people react when adrenaline is high and information is limited.
Good defensive firearms training focuses more on avoidance than on shooting. The message is constant: stay out of other people’s fights, especially law enforcement encounters. You are not a deputy or backup. Your firearm is for last-resort defense of your own life, not for inserting yourself into unstable situations. Lawful carriers, whether in permit or constitutional carry states, are among the most law-abiding groups in the country. The overwhelming majority carry for a lifetime without ever coming close to a moment like this. Rare tragedies should not be used to smear millions of responsible gun owners. Still, the principle remains. Closing distance to a tense law enforcement encounter while armed is something instructors warn against for a reason.
Chaos Plus A Weapon Is A Dangerous Mix
When officers are in a struggle, every unknown person nearby becomes a potential threat. This is not personal. It is a survival instinct. Chaos plus any weapon, including those officers carry, raises the stakes. A lawfully carried firearm does not create chaos, but once chaos exists, its presence can turn uncertainty into urgency.
If someone carrying a concealed, loaded handgun moves toward that scene, even with good intentions, they step into a moment where split-second decisions rule. What one person sees as helping, another may see as an emerging threat. The responsible carry doctrine stresses the opposite approach: create distance, keep hands in sight, avoid sudden movements, and do not approach officers unless directed to do so. The goal is simple — do not become part of the problem.
There is another harsh reality instructors acknowledge. Being armed while physically entangled with law enforcement is one of the most dangerous positions a person can be in. Once a struggle begins and a weapon is suspected, the situation can escalate in seconds. None of those answers the factual questions about what happened in Minneapolis, but it does explain why situations involving armed civilians and physical confrontations can deteriorate quickly and end tragically.
So, Does It Matter?
We still do not know exactly what happened. We have partial video from bystanders, but have not seen body-camera footage or heard all the accounts investigators will review. Serious use-of-force investigations rely on far more than the clips circulating online.
This is not an attempt to excuse anyone or assign blame. It serves as a reminder that strong Second Amendment rights and serious responsibility go hand in hand. The right to carry is fundamental and not negotiable. But anyone who chooses to exercise that right in public carries the burden of judgment that comes with it. That culture of restraint, not new laws, is what protects both our rights and our communities.
We do not know whether it would have changed the tragic outcome, but Pretti should have secured his firearm in his vehicle or left it at home before getting involved the way he did at that scene.
UPDATE SINCE I WROTE MY COLUMN, I HAVE WATCHED TWO VIDEOS WORTH SHARING
Erik Erickson’s Take On The Available Videos Of The Shooting
My friend and conservative talk show host Erick Erickson spent a lot of time watching available videos of the tragic shooting of Pretti.
After reviewing multiple angles of the footage, Erick explains the timeline: footage shows Pretti walking away from federal agents, being shoved by an agent, and then having his firearm removed before shots were fired — a key fact now acknowledged as part of the evolving public record. 
This breakdown separates early spin from what verified video evidence actually shows, why early narratives collapsed, and why even strong supporters of immigration enforcement are now urging the administration to reassess tactics.
And if you really want all of this in context, I strongly recommend Erick’s Substack post on this topic. Very well done, and thought-provoking.
Joey Jones on the irresponsibility of Pretti carrying a loaded firearm into that situation…
On The Five on Fox News, Marine Corps combat veteran Johnny “Joey” Jones — a retired Staff Sergeant who now serves as a Fox News contributor and co-host, and whose military service as an explosive ordnance disposal technician in Iraq and Afghanistan, along with his recovery from life-changing combat injuries, gives him a grounded perspective on risk, judgment, and responsibility — laid out why Pretti’s bringing a loaded firearm into that situation was totally irresponsible.
YOU WANT TO START WATCHING THIS AT THE 9:30 MARK

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