Membership in leftist gun groups is surging following the January 24, 2026, fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
“Several niche, left-leaning gun advocacy groups said that since the killing of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis, they can hardly keep up with the surging demand for firearms training,” CNN reported.
CNN added:
Weekend classes at L.A. Progressive Shooters are sold out through March. Registrations for permit-to-carry courses at Pink Pistols Twin Cities, which serves LGBTQ people in Minneapolis and St. Paul, are up from an average of five people per class to 25 — the group recently added seven more courses to accommodate increased interest, and those are filling up, too.”
Pretti attended the January 24, 2026, protest armed with a Sig Sauer AXG Combat handgun, chambered in 9mm. He was shot and killed during a confrontation with law enforcement.
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Breitbart News noted that Pretti was caught on video 11 days before his death, allegedly spitting at agents, calling them “trash,” and daring them, “assault me motherf**ker!”
CNN described Pretti as “a beloved ICU nurse who cared for ailing veterans and an outdoorsman who was concerned about the environment.”
Minneapolis police chief Brian O’Hara pointed out that Pretti was “a lawful gun owner” and had a permit to carry.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He holds a PhD in Military History with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. He enjoys reading Philosophy and novels by Jack Carr and Nelson DeMille. Follow him on X: @awrhawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at [email protected].
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