A woman fires a pink AR-15 rifle at a gun range in Colorado Springs, Colorado on April 25, 2021 (Image: Shutterstock)
Federal agents gunning down a U.S. citizen and lawful gun owner in Minneapolis, Minnesota last weekend may result in blowback for Republicans in this fall's midterm elections — specifically from gun owners.
That's according to certified firearms instructor Stephen Gutowski, who wrote in a Monday op-ed for MS NOW that the Second Amendment community is likely paying close attention to how President Donald Trump's administration is handling the deadly shooting of 37 year-old Alex Pretti. Gutowski called out the "coordinated messages" from key Trump administration figures blaming Pretti for his own death by carrying a gun (which video shows he never brandished) and suggested those remarks were already backfiring.
"[T]hose talking points have already sparked backlash from some of Trump’s closest allies: gun-rights activists," Gutowski wrote.
The firearms instructor and journalist reminded readers that even the National Rifle Association (NRA) — which has historically been one of the Republican Party's biggest backers — condemned remarks from Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli who said federal agents will likely be "legally justified in shooting you" if they are approached by someone carrying a gun. The NRA wrote on its official social media channels that the federal prosecutor's sentiment was "dangerous and wrong."
"Responsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens," the NRA wrote.
The group Gun Owners of America also piled on, writing that the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution "protects Americans' right to bear arms while protesting — a right the federal government must not infringe upon." Gutowski noted that the Trump administration also ran afoul of the gun rights community after suggesting that transgender Americans be prohibited from owning firearms.
Gutowski was bearish on the prospect of pro-gun voters abandoning the Republican Party en masse for the Democratic Party. However, he posited that the administration's response to Pretti's death at the hands of its own federal agents "could end up fracturing Trump’s support among gun-rights advocates."
"Even if Democrats can’t persuade those advocates to vote for them, Trump and the Republicans may be sapping their motivation, which could affect turnout in the coming elections," he wrote. "To justify what Immigration and Customs Enforcement is doing, that appears to be a risk top Trump officials are willing to take."
