To say that the Trump administration has been against gun control is an understatement.
Already on President Donald Trump’s first day in office, he shut down the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, responsible for the federal government’s response to gun crime and gun violence, a huge problem in the U.S.
But all of a sudden, when it comes to Alex Pretti’s ICE shooting, he has suddenly changed his position — and the internet is livid.
Highlights
- Trump shut down the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention on his first day, signaling strong opposition to gun control measures.
- After Alex Pretti’s shooting by ICE, Trump stated, 'You can't have guns,' marking a clear shift in his gun rights stance.
- Videos show Pretti was unarmed when shot, sparking outrage over the justification of deadly force by federal agents.
- Gun rights groups and social media users criticized Trump’s contradictory comments and perceived hypocrisy on gun ownership rights.
Trump changed his position on gun rights in the wake of Pretti's death, says 'you can't have guns'
Image credits: Kyle Mazza/Getty Images
One of the provisions in Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed in June, made it cheaper and easier to buy highly regulated weapons, including silencers, short-barreled rifles and shotguns, and other easily concealable firearms.
But now, the president, who has always been a strong proponent of gun rights, said in relation to Pretti, “You can’t have guns. You can’t walk in with guns, you just can’t. You can’t walk in with guns. You can’t do that.”
Pretti was shot on January 24 during an encounter with ICE agents amid protests over Good’s killing. The Trump administration defended the latest shooting as self-defense, despite witness footage showing contrary evidence. Videos and witness accounts showed Pretti was holding a phone in his hand, and never pulled out a weapon.
A CNN video analysis showed a federal immigration officer removing a gun from Pretti right before he was fatally shot at least ten times. A bystander’s video shows officers restraining Pretti, while an agent reached into the scuffle and retrieved a weapon that appears to match the firearm the DHS alleges Pretti possessed.
Just a second after the officer emerges with the gun, shots ring out.
Some federal officials have also said that it is dangerous to even carry a gun, and that doing so could lead to them being shot.
The statements have sparked outrage from gun rights groups, who say the right to have arms is protected by the Second Amendment. Some noted the hypocrisy of those justifying Pretti being shot because he had a concealed gun while January 6 rioters had openly marched with firearms at the U.S. Capitol in 2021 without being shot by law enforcement.
Social media users criticized Trump's hypocrisy
Image credits: Samuel Corum/Getty Images
Trump also said about Pretti’s killing, “I'm looking at that whole situation. I love everybody. I love all of our people. I love his family — and it's a very sad situation.” But many users on social media could not overlook his comment on guns.
“You can't execute someone that was lawfully carrying a gun. The man didn't have the gun in his hand nor was he reaching for it,” one person commented on X. Another was outraged: “So.....now it IS the guns? Hmmmm. Convenient. It's not the guns when it's kids being gunned down in schools, but when a lawfully owned gun is spotted on someone being pepper-sprayed and restrained it's all of a sudden an issue? What's the word for this? BULLSHIT.”
Image credits: atrupar/X
A third user said, “The NRA and other gun rights groups would be raising alarms and money off of this statement if said by any president not named Trump. What we’re learning is that these folks only care about Constitutional rights when it’s politically convenient.”
“This administration can’t admit it made a mistake so we all pay? Burn up the Constitution the NRA has lost the plot,” said one user on X.
Image credits: atrupar/X
A second remarked, “The 'everybody should have guns' party has changed their stance on everybody having guns remarkably quickly.”
A third noted, “If obama ever said this we'd have a national rebellion.”
One person said there would have been a national rebellion if Obama had said what Trump did
Image credits: aaron.rupar/threads
A Threads user joked, “Can't wait for Karoline Leavitt's mental gymnastics to reinterpret what he said.” “Republicans literally went so far right they turned extreme left lmao,” another mocked.
To wrap it all up, one person commanded, “The president said ‘You can’t have guns.’ Put that line everywhere. Make it famous.”