A 2018 tweet from Charlie Kirk has resurfaced in the wake of Alex Pretti’s death, drawing renewed attention amid the national debate over government authority and gun rights.
The narrative from DHS
No one really expected conservative commentator Charlie Kirk to be pulled into the controversy over the Alex Pretti shooting — but that’s exactly what has happened online. A quote from Kirk dating back to 2018 has started circulating widely after Pretti’s death, adding a new twist to the already heated debate.
Pretti, 37, an ICU nurse, was shot and killed by federal immigration and Border Patrol agents during an enforcement operation in Minneapolis on January 24.
His death, less than one month after the fatal shooting of Renee Good, has ramped up tensions in Minnesota. The two incidents have sparked nationwide protests, political arguments, and scrutiny over the use of federal force at demonstrations.
The narrative from the Department of Homeland Security and the Trump administration is that Pretti was going out of his way to cause harm to ICE agents in the process of doing their jobs.
The DHS said that the 37-year-old approached officers with a firearm, though it’s since been claimed that not only did he have a permit to carry it, but he was disarmed and restrained before the agents in question shot him multiple times.
What Charlie Kirk said
But video footage circulating online shows Pretti holding a phone — not a weapon —while he is tackled and pinned to the ground. Nowhere in the videos does he appear to threaten officers with a gun.
And it’s in connection with these events that Charlie Kirk’s old tweet has suddenly come into the spotlight.
“The 2nd Amendment is not for hunting, it is not for self protection,” Kirk tweeted in 2018. “It is there to ensure that free people can defend themselves if god forbid government became tyrannical and turned against its citizens.”
The post, recently reshared by the Homeland Dems account on X with the single caption “Interesting,” has reignited the debate over gun rights and government power.
The reactions in the comments ranged from sarcastic to outright anxious.
One user captured the mood by calling the viral moment “Thought leader,” while others braced for the fallout it might stir online. “This is a good one to keep in my pocket, I’m sure I’m going to need it at some point today,” one person wrote, as another added bluntly, “We’re so cooked, bro.”
While President Trump has framed Pretti’s death as a cautionary tale about carrying firearms at protests, gun rights advocates argue the case highlights why constitutional protections against government overreach remain critical.
Pretti’s parents have also been vocal in rejecting the federal government’s portrayal of their son as a threat.
“The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting,” they said. “Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs.”
They added: “He has his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down all while being pepper-sprayed.”
The statement concluded with a heartfelt plea: “Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man.”
What weapon was Alex Pretti carrying?
According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, the firearm Alex Pretti was carrying appeared to be a customized version of a Sig Sauer P320, a 9mm pistol that is popular with both law enforcement and military personnel.
The Department of Homeland Security released photos of the gun — with its slide retracted — along with a loaded magazine alongside it after the fatal confrontation.
This model is widely used by U.S. military and law enforcement members, and in Pretti’s case it reportedly reflected some custom features rather than a basic, off‑the‑shelf gun.
Rob Doar, an attorney and president of the Gun Owners Law Center, emphasized that officers “have to have been in reasonable fear of imminent death and great bodily harm” in order to justify using deadly force.
“That’s the threshold that has to be met, and what it appears to me — and I’m happy to be convinced otherwise — that at the time that the shots were fired he had been disarmed seconds before,” Doar told KSTP.
Clinton urges Americans to act
Demonstrations have continued to grow across the U.S., with marches taking place in Minneapolis, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., following the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
In a statement on X, former President Bill Clinton urged Americans to act:
“Over the course of a lifetime, we face only a few moments where the decisions we make and the actions we take will shape our history for years to come. This is one of them.
“It is up to all of us who believe in the promise of American democracy to stand up, speak out, and show that our nation still belongs to We the People.”
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump told the Wall Street Journal:
“I don’t like any shooting. I don’t like it. But I don’t like it when somebody goes into a protest, and he’s got a very powerful, fully loaded gun with two magazines loaded up with bullets also. That doesn’t play good either.”
Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE), a Trump ally, weighed in with both concern and support for law enforcement:
“The nation witnessed a horrifying situation this weekend. My prayers are with the family of Alex Pretti. My support for funding ICE remains the same.
“Enforcing our immigration laws makes our streets safer. It also protects our national security. But we must also maintain our core values as a nation, including the right to protest and assemble. I expect a prioritized, transparent investigation into this incident.”