Armed Minneapolis anti-ICE protester Alex Pretti was carrying a popular handgun that has a history of unintentionally firing — leading some gun experts to suggest that the gun might have accidentally discharged after a Border Patrol agent grabbed it from him, causing another agent to open fire, killing him Saturday.
Pretti, 37, an ICU nurse angry at President Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration in Minnesota, was carrying a loaded Sig Sauer P320 9mm pistol when he allegedly tried to stop federal agents from arresting a woman on the street.
Cops said he had a permit to legally carry the gun.
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Video from the scene shows one federal agent yelling “gun” and grabbing the weapon from Pretti. The agent is seen walking away with the weapon in his hand, when another agent suddenly stands up and opens fire multiple times — killing the Minnesota nurse.
Rob Doar, a lawyer for the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, said he believes that Pretti’s gun went off after the agent grabbed it, leading the other agent to open fire.
“I believe it’s highly likely the first shot was a negligent discharge from the agent in the grey jacket after he removed the Sig P320 from Pretti’s holster while exiting the scene,” Doar said on X.
The P320 model is widely carried by armed civilians and US law enforcement, including ICE — but has been the subject of more than 100 allegations that it has a defect that allows it to fire “uncommanded.”
Authorities shared a picture of Pretti’s loaded handgun in the wake of Saturday’s shooting, showing a fully loaded magazine.
The weapon appears to be a high-end custom variant, a P320 AXG Combat, which comes with three 21-round magazines. The gun retails for $1,100 to $1,300.
President Trump shared a picture of the gun on his Truth Social, questioning why Pretti had attended a protest carrying a loaded weapon, and speculating as to whether local police were told to stay away from the scene by Democrats such as Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.
“This is the gunman’s gun, loaded (with two additional full magazines!), and ready to go – What is that all about? Where are the local Police? Why weren’t they allowed to protect ICE Officers? The Mayor and the Governor called them off?” the President wrote.
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“It is stated that many of these Police were not allowed to do their job, that ICE had to protect themselves — Not an easy thing to do!” Trump added.
Although Pretti had a permit to legally carry a firearm, according to Minneapolis Police, the Department of Homeland Security has previously claimed it is “unlawful” for protesters or observers to bring guns to demonstrations.
In November 2021, a Philadelphia jury awarded US Army veteran George Abrahams $11 million after his holstered pistol went off while he was going down the stairs, causing permanent leg injuries.
“We’ve been asking Sig for over three years now to recall this gun, to fix it, and frankly to use the same type of safeties that other manufacturers are using that Sig Sauer is not,” the plaintiff’s lawyer, Robert W. Zimmerman, said at the time of the verdict.
New Hampshire-based manufacturer Sig Sauer defended the P320, describing it as “among the most tested, proven, and successful handguns in recent history,” in a statement on its website at the time.
In April 2025, Sig Sauer executive Bobby Cox successfully lobbied in the New Hampshire State House for a new law shielding the arms manufacturer from liability lawsuits over its P320 pistol.
Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed the bill in May 2025, despite objections from some Democrats, who said that Sig Sauer should be forced to defend its claims in court.
Sig said it has fixed the issue and noted that accidental discharges are exceedingly rare, considering the millions of pistols produced.
In 2017, the company brought in a “Voluntary Upgrade Program,” allowing owners to change their handguns for updated models designed to solve safety concerns regarding so-called drop-firing, where the gun discharged when dropped at a specific angle.
Additionally, in 2020, a consumer-focused class action known as the “Hartley class action settlement” was completed.
It applied to all owners of Sig Sauer P320s manufactured before Aug. 8, 2017, who experienced “Cartridge Failure Events,” or internal mechanical failures when firing.
The settlement provided refunds for previous repair costs, a lifetime warranty against cartridge failures, and reinforced the Voluntary Upgrade Program.Controversially, it did not cover compensation for personal injuries from gunshot wounds or address the “unintentional discharge” claims that had been at the center of various lawsuits.
Sig Sauer didn’t respond immediately to requests for comment.
