The New York Times is at it again, clutching their pearls over the fact that gun rights organizations haven’t abandoned Donald Trump following his comments on the shooting of demonstrator Mr. Pretti during anti-immigration protests in Minneapolis. According to the source, Trump and his top aides pointed the finger squarely at Pretti himself for carrying a firearm and ammunition amid the chaos—essentially arguing that bringing a loaded gun to a riot is a recipe for disaster, no matter your politics. The Times frames this as some shocking betrayal of victimhood, implying that 2A advocates should be outraged by Trump’s victim-blaming. But let’s cut through the sanctimonious spin: this is peak media gaslighting, pretending that self-defense rights evaporate when you’re protesting federal overreach.
Dig deeper, and Trump’s stance isn’t anti-2A—it’s a pragmatic gut-check on the realities of concealed carry in high-stakes street protests. Pretti wasn’t defending his home from intruders; he was armed in a volatile demonstration against immigration enforcement, where tensions boiled over into violence. Gun rights groups like the NRA and GOA get this distinction perfectly: the Second Amendment protects responsible carry, not turning riots into OK Corral reenactments. By standing firm with Trump, they’re signaling that 2A isn’t a suicide pact for left-wing agitators—it rewards law-abiding citizens who prioritize de-escalation over bravado. The Times’ disappointment reeks of their long game: erode gun rights by equating any criticism of armed chaos with betrayal of the cause, hoping to fracture the pro-2A coalition ahead of 2024.
For the 2A community, the implications are crystal clear and energizing. This non-story reinforces Trump’s reliability as an ally—he’s the guy who crushed ATF pistol brace rules and backed permitless carry expansions, not some fair-weather friend ditching us over one messy incident. It also spotlights the hypocrisy of media outlets that cheer Antifa’s Molotovs but clutch at NRA extremism for basic self-defense logic. Stay vigilant, patriots: as long as outfits like the Times keep manufacturing outrage, it only steels our resolve. Trump’s unfiltered truth-telling? That’s the feature, not the bug, keeping the momentum for restoring full constitutional carry nationwide.
