1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

I am writing to express serious concern about FBI Director Kash Patel's false statements regarding Minnesota gun laws and to urge you to demand accountability for the shooting death of Alex Pretti on January 24, 2025. During a January 25 Fox News interview, Director Patel claimed that individuals "cannot bring a firearm loaded with multiple magazines to any sort of protest" in Minnesota. This statement is categorically false. Minnesota law allows individuals with permits to carry guns in public, either concealed or openly, and has no state law prohibiting firearms at demonstrations. Minnesota is not among the 16 states that have enacted such restrictions, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus and Rob Doar, president of the Minnesota Gun Owners Law Center, both confirmed there is no such prohibition in Minnesota statute. Alex Pretti had a valid permit for his handgun. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara stated that available video evidence suggests Pretti was exercising his First Amendment rights to record law enforcement and his Second Amendment rights to be lawfully armed in public. Videos recorded by bystanders show no evidence of Pretti threatening officers or removing his gun from his waistband. Video appears to show an officer removing the gun from Pretti's waistband before he was shot. The hypocrisy is staggering. When gun rights advocates defend Second Amendment protections after mass shootings, they invoke constitutional principles. Yet when a legally armed citizen exercises those same rights at a protest, federal officials fabricate laws to justify his killing and demonize his lawful conduct. I urge you to demand a full investigation into this shooting, hold Director Patel accountable for spreading misinformation about state law, and ensure that constitutional rights are protected equally regardless of the political context. Federal law enforcement cannot be permitted to kill legally armed citizens and then lie about the law to justify their actions.