SAN DIEGO — Gun rights organizations across the country are finding themselves in an unexpected conflict with President Trump following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis, as the investigation into the incident continues.

Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse and lawful gun owner with a conceal-carry permit, was shot and killed during a protest. According to cell phone video evidence, Pretti never brandished his firearm and had been disarmed before federal agents opened fire.

The conflict centers on Trump’s public criticism of Pretti’s decision to carry a loaded firearm to the protest—something he was legally permitted to do under Minnesota law. 

“I don’t like that he had a gun. I don’t like that he had two fully loaded magazines. That’s a lot of bad stuff,” President Trump said.

Michael Schwartz, executive director of San Diego County Gun Owners, the county’s largest Second Amendment rights organization, called the shooting “extremely sad and tragic.” 

The organization is pushing for transparency and accountability in the investigation while cautioning that the tragedy should not be used to vilify gun owners.

“We don’t have all the facts, we don’t know everything. But he – the Border Patrol Agent who fired his gun, is going to have a really difficult time trying to explain why he used lethal force on a person who was faced away from him, on the ground, unarmed,” Schwartz said.

Schwartz emphasized that there was room for de-escalation from all sides and made clear that gun owners do not condone harassment or interference with law enforcement. However, he voiced concern about protesters misusing the Second Amendment.

“I don’t want them to use the Second Amendment as a proxy in whatever war they’re waging on [the] federal government and law enforcement. They don’t get to commandeer what we’ve been fighting for,” Schartz told CBS 8, adding, “We’re all about the Second Amendment. We are not partisan; we are not loyal to people or party. We’re loyal to concepts.”

The Trump administration’s position has put the federal government at odds with gun rights organizations nationwide. The National Association for Gun Rights stated that “there is no more crucial place to carry a firearm for self-defense than a protest.”

Dana Loesch, a former NRA spokesperson, cautioned federal officials about their rhetoric. 

“Simply approaching law enforcement with a firearm isn’t indicative of ill intent, nor is it a crime,” she said.

In an unlikely alliance, Governor Gavin Newsom has agreed with the NRA, which issued a statement saying: “Nothing is sacred in Trump’s America; not the First Amendment, not the Second, not even life itself.”

According to CBS News, the Border Patrol agents involved in the shooting are currently on administrative leave, not working. Federal officials initially stated the agents had been reassigned to other cities, but clarified their statement earlier today.

Click here for the full statement by San Diego County Gun Owners PAC.