The National Rifle Association (NRA), the most powerful gun lobby in the United States, has criticized the US Attorney’s Office for using the fact that Alex Pretti, a nurse shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis on Saturday, was armed when he approached law enforcement as an excuse to defend the officers involved.
The NRA denounced a comment made on Sunday by Assistant US Attorney Bill Essaili of California, who stated that “if you approach law enforcement with a weapon, there is a very high probability that they will be legally justified in shooting you.”
The Minneapolis Police Department has reported that Pretti had a license to carry firearms and was therefore legally permitted to possess the weapon. In fact, displaying firearms in public is even permitted in the state.
The NRA stated that Essaili’s remarks are “dangerous and wrong.” The US Constitution, particularly the 2nd, 4th, and 14th Amendments, prohibits law enforcement officers from shooting armed citizens unless they pose an imminent threat.
“Public figures,” the lobby added, “should wait for a full investigation to be completed before making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens.”
