After spending years pushing for gun restrictions, Democrats and left-leaning activists are now racing to buy firearms and invoking Second Amendment rights following the death of Alex Pretti, a licensed gun owner killed by federal agents in Minneapolis. The sudden change of heart has drawn predictable accusations of hypocrisy from conservatives who, strangely enough, remember what progressives were saying about guns just yesterday.
Writing in The Hill, columnist Robby Soave pointed out that progressives “favor all sorts of restrictions on gun ownership,” yet are now loudly defending constitutional gun rights after Pretti’s death. He also noted that the ACLU has backtracked on whether it supports concealed-carry rights for protesters. Amazing what a little reality can do to a policy position.
Former Minnesota Democrat Rep. Dean Phillips even admitted as much on social media. “For years I quietly mocked 2A defenders who argued arms were necessary to defend American rights against a tyrannical government,” Phillips wrote. “Today I apologize, because I’ve seen it with my own eyes.” Welcome to the party—better late than never.
This political awakening is showing up in hard numbers. NPR reported that the Liberal Gun Club’s membership jumped from 2,700 to 4,500 since November, with training requests increasing fivefold. A University of Chicago study found that gun ownership among Democrats rose seven percentage points between 2010 and 2022. Apparently, the Second Amendment becomes more persuasive when people start taking it seriously.
CNN reported that left-leaning gun groups are struggling to keep up with demand since Border Patrol agents shot Pretti on Jan. 25. The 37-year-old ICU nurse had a valid permit to carry a concealed weapon. L.A. Progressive Shooters sold out weekend classes through March, and Pink Pistols Twin Cities saw permit course registrations jump from five people per class to 25.
“In the past couple of days, there has been a shift,” said Lara Smith, national spokesperson for the Liberal Gun Club. “This changed views on the left.” That’s one way to put it. Philip Smith, founder of the National African American Gun Association, said his group’s membership grew after Trump took office and again after Pretti’s death. “People join when they’re scared,” he said.
The irony is hard to miss. The 2024 Democratic Party platform removed all recognition of the Second Amendment, according to The Hill. Now those same voters are lining up at shooting ranges. As Lara Smith said of Pretti, “He’s a gun guy. He’s a guy who carries. He trains… one of the gun community.”
For years, conservatives warned that the right to bear arms mattered most when trust in government collapsed. Now even the left seems to be catching on. If this moment leads to a broader respect for constitutional rights, that’s not just political irony—it’s progress, and a reminder that freedom still has a way of winning hearts when it matters most.
