Letter to the editor: Trump's war on gun rights

First published in the Brunswick Beacon, 02.26.26

After federal agents shot and killed concealed-carry permitholder Alex Pretti, Trump officials took aim at your Second Amendment rights.

FBI Director Kash Patel announced a radical new policy: “You cannot bring a firearm to any sort of protest. You can’t break the law and incite violence.”

Multiple videos and sworn eyewitness affidavits prove Pretti didn’t point his gun at anyone. He kept it holstered beneath his jacket — until federal agents removed it. Only then did they fire 10 bullets into the unarmed Pretti as they pinned him to the ground.

Patel did not explain how the mere possession of a licensed firearm “breaks the law” or “incites violence.” Clark Neily of the Cato Institute put it plainly: “Someone who is lawfully carrying a firearm may bring it to public gatherings, including protests and demonstrations.” 13 legal experts interviewed by PBS agreed.

If you expected Trump to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution,” he shot down that idea. “You can’t have guns,” Trump said. “You can’t walk in with guns — you just can’t.” Unless, that is, it helps him hold onto power. On Jan. 6, Trump said, “I don’t f-ing care that they have weapons — they’re not here to hurt ME!”

If you dismissed Trump’s words because he often shoots from the hip, Trump’s handpicked U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia fired her own salvo. On Feb. 2, Jeannine Pirro declared that if anyone brings “a gun into the District, you mark my words, you’re going to jail. I don’t care if you have a license in another district. I don’t care if you’re a law-abiding gun owner somewhere else.”

If you thought a president who called for the “termination of the Constitution” would respect your Second Amendment rights, think again. Former White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said Trump “admired” Putin’s ability to “kill whoever spoke out against him. He loved the dictators — he loved the people who could kill anyone.”

Linda McConnell Baker

Leland