The National Rifle Association (NRA) made a firm statement in defense of the Second Amendment after President Donald Trump doubled down on his remarks that Alex Pretti, the VA nurse killed by federal agents in Minneapolis, shouldn’t have been carrying a gun. (Pretti, 37, has been described by police as a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry, and in videos of his final moments, he is not seen holding the gun during his encounter with officers.)
“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,” said the NRA on Tuesday night.
Earlier in the day, during a visit to a restaurant in Iowa, Trump was asked by a reporter whether he agrees with the assessment made by some within his Administration who characterized Pretti as a “domestic terrorist.” Trump responded: “I haven’t heard that, but certainly shouldn’t have been carrying a gun.”