A house RESOLUTION

 

TO HONOR ALEX PRETTI AND HIS COMMITMENT TO CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND CIVIC VALUES, TO CONDEMN HIS MURDER BY FEDERAL AGENTS, AND TO CALL ON THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO HOLD TO ACCOUNT THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO VIOLATE THE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS OF UNITED STATES CITIZENS.

 

Whereas, on January 24, 2026, Alex Pretti, a thirty-seven-year-old intensive care nurse at a VA hospital, was murdered by a United States Border Patrol officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota; and

 

Whereas, the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution affirms the right of citizens to keep and bear arms as an essential liberty fundamental to a free society; and

 

Whereas, Alex Pretti owned a handgun and had a permit to carry a concealed handgun in Minnesota, a state that does not restrict permit carriers from having firearms at protests. Lawful possession of a weapon is the essence of the Second Amendment; and

 

Whereas, civic participation, in the form of protests, allows citizens to actively engage in the defense of their constitutional rights and is not a justification for murder at the hands of federal agents; and

 

Whereas, federal agents, who are expected to preserve and protect the public and uphold the protections guaranteed by the United States Constitution, must be held accountable for justifying the force that led to the murder of a lawful gun owner; and

 

Whereas, recently, some federal agents have begun using masks to hide their identity while invoking the power and authority of the United States government, making it difficult to identify agents who exceed the scope and authority of their duties while also heightening tensions among peaceful individuals merely exercising the constitutional rights that these agents are meant to uphold and protect; and

 

Whereas, constitutional principles and civic engagement must never be used to perpetuate ongoing violence and fear or to rationalize actions of the federal government against individuals exercising their constitutional rights. Now, therefore,

 

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

 

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, honor Alex Pretti and his commitment to constitutional rights and civic values, condemn his murder by federal agents, and call on the federal government to hold to account those individuals who violate the constitutional rights of United States citizens.

 

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to the members of the South Carolina congressional delegation.

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