Just a day after White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt asserted that there's no bigger supporter of the Second Amendment than President Donald Trump, the president himself echoed previous statements from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and FBI Director Kash Patel suggesting that it was illegal to carry a firearm at a protest, or at the very least, evidence of nefarious intent.
So much for the Trump Administration walking back their media campaign against gun carry... https://t.co/LDaWzqol6O
— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) January 27, 2026
The president made his comments as he was walking towards Marine One, and in the video above the noise of the helicopter drowned out the actual question posed by a reporter, but Trump's response was audible.
"With that being said, you can't have guns. You can't walk in with guns. You just can't. You can't walk in with guns. You can't do that. But it's just a very unfortunate incident."
Another video, however, provides a little more context.
👀 Trump comes out against the 2nd Amendment….where are all the gun rights activists now?
— Wu Tang is for the Children (@WUTangKids) January 27, 2026
"You can't have guns. You can't walk in with guns. You just can't. You can't walk in with guns. You can't do that." pic.twitter.com/xRQVbihAVq
Trump was asked if he agreed that Alex Pretti was planning on assassinating law enforcement, and Trump replied that he was not. He then added the, "with that being said..." comment about walking in with guns.
The president's comments are likely going to reignite the firestorm of controversy in 2A circles over the similar remarks by Bessent, Patel, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, and Border Patrol's Gregory Bovino over the weekend. Noem and Bovino suggested that the fact that Pretti had two magazines along with his pistol was evidence that he planned to massacre law enforcement and inflict "maximum" damage to the Border Patrol agents on the scene. though none of the videos from the incident show Pretti brandishing his gun or pointing it at law enforcement.
Instead, the videos indicate that only after Pretti was on the ground and surrounded by Border Patrol agents who were trying to arrest him was his gun discovered and quickly taken by one of the agents, who then walked away. As the agent did so, the sound of a gunshot can be heard, and a moment later at least one agent fires multiple shots at Pretti, backs away, and fires several more rounds at Pretti as he's prone and motionless on the pavement.
Earlier today, and before I'd heard the president's comments, I was interviewed by Fox Digital, and described the remarks by Trump officials as communications failure. I noted that the administration appeared to have dropped these talking points starting on Monday; a comment that was clearly premature given what the president himself told reporters.
If the president and his top officials had merely it's unwise to carry while planning on obstructing law enforcement activity, I don't think there'd be much disagreement among Second Amendment supporters. Saying you "can't" carry a gun at a protest, though, is going to be met with "yes, I can."
Apparently the Administration is tripling down on this. You have a 2nd Amendment right that extends EVERYWHERE in America. It’s called a RIGHT and you don’t need anyone’s approval or permission slip.
— Guns&Gadgets (@Guns_Gadgets) January 27, 2026
Imagine telling people you can’t talk in certain scenarios. Or you were not… pic.twitter.com/mdmmsKuv62
Yes you can.
— Kostas Moros (@MorosKostas) January 27, 2026
Not loving the sequel to "take the guns first." https://t.co/l87VAOpLsF
"You can't walk around with guns."
— Rob Doar (@robdoar) January 27, 2026
One step forward, two steps back.https://t.co/Ku5VmOgXLW
For now, anyway, one of my comments to Fox Digital remains true: while the statements by administration officials are wrong and deserve pushback, they have not led to any demands for changes to the law. That's important to keep in mind, but it doesn't change the fact that every statement that diminishes our right to keep and bear arms is a misstep on the part of the administration at a time when it needs all the allies it can get.
***UPDATE***
And the hits just keep on comin', as Kasey Kasem used to say.
President Trump just now on Alex Pretti: “I don’t like that he had a gun. I don’t like that he had two fully loaded magazines. That’s a lot of bad stuff. Despite that, I say that’s a very unfortunate incident.”
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) January 27, 2026
In this case, at least, the president is clearly expressing his opinion, not insinuating that it's illegal to carry a firearm at or near a protest. And presumably Trump meant a gun and two magazines were "bad stuff" to carry in Pretti's particular circumstance. Still, it's possible to conclude that Trump was talking about carrying those items in general, and this isn't going to do anything to smooth over the growing rift between many 2A advocates and the White House.
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