February 13, 2026
This is what I wrote just a couple of weeks ago:
“Just from a common sense, good judgement perspective. Nothing political no political message. I think if you get up in the morning and say to yourself, “Great day to go out and confront Federal officers in the street, impede them, shout at them, get in their way, drive my car around them or maybe at them, harass them. Just better check to see if I need rain gear this morning.”
I think that’s a bad call to make. Not a great judgement moment. So, you go and you get tangled up in street violence, in the unexpected mayhem that occurs when bunches of disorganized people get all purple-faced and go after professionals with guns and more, professionals with guns who are trained and are allowed by the law to use them if attacked.
So, you’re putting your life on the line with perhaps some agent who might panic, or some veteran who won’t and you’re relying on their split-second judgement to keep yourself safe. Is that how you spend your morning?
Is a shooting justified? In terms of this conversation, it doesn’t matter to the individual involved. If the shootings were not justified, are you going to come back to life?”
And then according to reports, Alex Pretti’s father Michael acknowledged that his son had received warnings from his parents to be careful while protesting. Michael Pretti told reporters that Alex “had acknowledged warnings from his parents to be careful while protesting.” Michael Pretti also said about his son: “He cared about people deeply and he was very upset with what was happening in Minneapolis and throughout the United States with ICE, as millions of other people are upset. He felt that doing the protesting was a way to express that, you know, his care for others.”
But as tragic as this situation is, here is where I have the problem.
Full disclosure first. I own two pistols, including a 9mm.
Pretti was armed with a Sig 9mm pistol. It is a lethal weapon. The gun has a magazine. That is a spring-loaded rectangular holder for bullets that snaps into the pistol handle. When you fire, you can simply pull the trigger time after time and it fires until it empties the magazine. The Sig has a magazine holding 15-17 bullets, I’ll call it twelve because many people don’t fill the magazine.
But in addition to the loaded magazine in the gun (which made it ready to fire once the safety came off and the slider was pulled back and snapped forward), he was carrying two more loaded magazines. In all, let’s say Mr. Pretti was carrying three dozen rounds of ammunition with him.
And so my question is this:
Why exactly did Mr. Pretti believe he needed multiple rounds of ammunition?
One magazine loaded in the gun is self-protection (I’m ignoring here the obvious…you don’t bring a loaded gun to these things). Three loaded magazines anticipate what? And with whom?l Thus, I was shocked to read so many leaping to his defense as a kind and gentle soul, especially before an investigation into his possible motivations or plans. In my experience, kind and gentle people don’t bring loaded weapons with them and confront officers of the law.
It seems to me obvious that he was ready to respond to someone shooting at him…or worse. And I don’t have to flesh this out any more than that. But his “deep caring” for people perhaps didn’t include those Federal officers, most of whom no doubt had families. I find this all somewhat incredible.
And he apparently stuffed the gun into the waistband of his pants. Presumably to have it ready? Rambo-style? Motivation aside, you don’t do that. It’s a safety issue. He is reputed to have had a concealed carry permit. In Florida, you go to school to earn that. And then, they don’t teach putting guns into your pants to carry them into street brawls.
“Alex Jeffrey Pretti was an ICU nurse at a VA hospital. His life, through his profession, was dedicated to serving his community and our country. As so many have now seen on video, his final act before he was killed by federal agents was doing everything in his power to protect his community. Alex and tens of thousands of Minnesotans have boldly defended their neighbors against the murderous occupation of an American city by the federal government. I am enraged and heartbroken for Alex, his family, Minneapolis, and America.”
Who said that? That would be Kamala Harris, former candidate for President.
What does this do to set the tone and most especially, does this encourage violent people to act on their impulses? What do weak minds think when they read commentary like that?
I think some people have lost their rational thought processes.
I want you for a moment to imagine you are an ICE officer, trying to wrestle this guy to the ground. It’s taking several of you, he’s resisting violently. Is he on drugs? Is he rational? Will his violence escalate? And then, you either see he has a concealed gun or his gun has fallen out.
If I’m the ICE agent, my first thought is “Get the gun before he does.” Then, “Don’t let him fire that weapon.” And then, “I want very much to go home to my wife and children tonight.” So, all of us sit at leisure and parse those frantic moments. I’m not ready to condemn those agents. Even as I feel for Pretti’s parents and family. As I wrote before…if you expose yourself to the mayhem that exists in the streets, very bad things can happen to you and it won’t matter in keeping your life why or how or who was at fault.
In all of this, there are glimmers of hope.
I see people like Rahm Emmanuel emerging on the Democratic side as a potential candidate in 2028. I don’t agree with much of his politics, but he is a mature adult with a lot of experience and well-considered points of view. Senator Fetterman has health issues but has emerged as a centrist with good things to say. Amy Klobuchar might very well replace Tim Walz as governor…that’s a good trade for Minnesota. And on the Republican side, I’m not sure Mr. Vance will be able to escape the Trump orbit but Mr. Rubio and Mr. DeSantis especially are worthy of consideration.
I don’t think by 2028 Trump’s coat tails will exist and I think we’ll all be ready to move on.
What I’m trying to say is that in the excesses of the extreme, on both Left and Right those of us comfortable in the center will find more and more room to exert influence. Because we think on these events and try to draw lessons from them to be better, both individually and as a society.
Protestors exercise a Constitutional right to take to the streets to peacefully protest actions of the government. I know of no one who is against peaceful protest. But when you come armed with a lethal weapon…When you show up with magazines loaded with bullets ready for action. You are not a protestor.
Mr. Pretti was not a protestor.
Thoughts, questions, or reflections? I’d love to hear them. You can reach me anytime at anthony@workingprofit.com
