--- title: SR 605. Pretti, Alex; condemn the killing of and protect the constitutional rights of peaceful assembly and right to keep and bear arms collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr605 cite_as: SR 605, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr605 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr605.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr605/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72449 date: 2026-01-28 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr604.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr606.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 95 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr605.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 605 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-01-27 last_action: Senate Read and Referred sponsors: - Josh McLaurin - Harold Jones - Kim Jackson - Derek Mallow - Ed Harbison - David Lucas - Freddie Sims - Sonya Halpern - Jaha Howard - Nikki Merritt - Nabilah Islam Parkes - Emanuel Jones - Nan Orrock - Sheikh Rahman - Elena Parent - RaShaun Kemp - Sally Harrell - Michael Rhett - Kenya Wicks text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR605/2025 upstream_id: 2095117 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - gun rights - Second Amendment - federal immigration enforcement - free speech and protest - Alex Pretti --- # SR 605. Pretti, Alex; condemn the killing of and protect the constitutional rights of peaceful assembly and right to keep and bear arms ## Text Senate Resolution 605 By: Senators McLaurin of the 14th, Jones II of the 22nd, Jackson of the 41st, Mallow of the 2nd, Harbison of the 15th and others A RESOLUTION Condemning the killing of Alex Pretti and protecting the constitutional rights of peaceful assembly and the right to keep and bear arms; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the United States of America was founded upon the principle that individual liberty, limited government, and constitutional rights are not privileges granted by the state, but inherent rights retained by the people; and WHEREAS, among these foundational rights are the freedoms of speech and peaceful assembly protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, and the right of the people to keep and bear arms protected by the Second Amendment; and WHEREAS, the Supreme Court has repeatedly affirmed that the Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to keep and bear arms, including self-defense, as recognized in Heller, and the right to carry a handgun in public for self-defense, as reaffirmed in Bruen; and WHEREAS, on January 24, 2026, during a protest in Minneapolis against the immigration policies of the Trump Administration, United States Border Patrol agents killed Alex Pretti, a Minnesota resident and American citizen; and WHEREAS, Mr. Pretti dedicated his adult life to serving America's veterans, having worked at a Veterans Affairs hospital since his early twenties, most recently as an intensive care unit nurse; and WHEREAS, on the day of his death, Mr. Pretti was engaged in peaceful protest, exercising his constitutional right to assemble and express political dissent; and WHEREAS, on that same day, Mr. Pretti lawfully carried a handgun in compliance with Minnesota law and the Constitution of the United States; and WHEREAS, publicly available video footage depicts federal agents deploying pepper spray against Mr. Pretti and forcing him to the ground immediately prior to his death; and WHEREAS, nothing shows Mr. Pretti drawing his firearm or attempting to take a firearm from immigration enforcement officials; and WHEREAS, following the killing, Trump administration officials justified the execution solely on the basis that Mr. Pretti was lawfully in possession of a firearm; and WHEREAS, President Trump defended the killing by disseminating an image of Mr. Pretti's lawfully owned handgun, portraying the mere exercise of a constitutional right as evidence of wrongdoing; and WHEREAS, senior administration officials further asserted, without evidence, that an individual legally carrying a firearm was evidence of an intent to commit "maximum damage" against law enforcement, with Stephen Miller publicly labeling Mr. Pretti a “terrorist,” and the Secretary Kristi Noem echoing that characterization; and WHEREAS, the National Rifle Association warned against the demonization of law-abiding citizens for exercising constitutional rights; and WHEREAS, law-abiding Americans exercising rights explicitly protected by the Constitution are not terrorists, but participants in the American experiment of self-government that begun 250 years ago; and WHEREAS, Americans reasonably expect the federal government to protect constitutional liberties, not to rationalize the killing of citizens by treating the lawful exercise of those liberties as suspicious or sinister; and WHEREAS, Republican voters took President Trump at his word that he would always protect the Second Amendment rather than invoke it as a pretext for lethal force when politically convenient; and WHEREAS, no administration possesses the authority to declare that constitutional rights cease to apply because they obstruct a President's political agenda. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body condemn the killing of Alex Pretti, and condemn the killing of any American citizen where the asserted justification is the lawful exercise of constitutional rights. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that members of this body reaffirm their sworn duty to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Georgia against all threats, foreign and domestic. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate calls upon all elected officials, regardless of party affiliation, to reject rhetoric that equates peaceful protest or lawful firearm possession with criminality or terrorism. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of this body commit to working together to protect the constitutional rights of peaceful assembly and the right to keep and bear arms, as guaranteed under both state and federal law, from encroachment or abuse by federal immigration law enforcement agencies that have demonstrated a pattern of disregard for the civil liberties of American citizens. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the public and the press. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia Senate resolution condemns the killing of Alex Pretti by federal Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis and calls for protecting peaceful assembly and gun rights from federal encroachment. ### Plain-language summary This resolution does not change any Georgia law. Instead, it states the Georgia Senate's position on a January 2026 incident in Minneapolis in which United States Border Patrol agents killed Alex Pretti, a Minnesota resident who was lawfully carrying a handgun while participating in a protest against federal immigration policy. The resolution condemns Pretti's killing and condemns the killing of any American citizen when the stated justification is the lawful exercise of constitutional rights, such as peaceful assembly or gun ownership. It reaffirms Senate members' duty to uphold the U.S. and Georgia Constitutions, calls on elected officials of all parties to reject rhetoric equating protest or lawful firearm possession with terrorism, and commits members to working to protect assembly and gun rights from federal immigration enforcement agencies. It directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies to the public and press. ### What it does - Formally condemns the killing of Alex Pretti and condemns killing any American citizen when the justification is lawful exercise of constitutional rights. - Reaffirms Senate members' sworn duty to uphold and defend the U.S. and Georgia Constitutions against threats foreign and domestic. - Calls on all elected officials, regardless of party, to reject rhetoric equating peaceful protest or lawful firearm possession with criminality or terrorism. - Commits Senate members to working together to protect rights of peaceful assembly and to keep and bear arms from encroachment by federal immigration enforcement agencies. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press. ### Who it affects The resolution most directly concerns federal immigration enforcement agencies, elected officials nationwide, and Americans exercising rights to peaceful assembly and firearm possession. It does not create legal obligations for Georgia residents, agencies, or businesses since it is a statement of position rather than a law. ### Why it matters As a resolution, this does not change any statute or create enforceable rights or penalties. Its practical effect is to put the Georgia Senate's stance on record regarding federal use of force against a citizen exercising constitutional rights, which could shape political debate and future legislation. ### Key provisions - The first resolving clause condemns Alex Pretti's killing and condemns killing any citizen when lawful exercise of constitutional rights is the stated justification. - The second resolving clause reaffirms members' duty to defend the U.S. and Georgia Constitutions against foreign and domestic threats. - The third resolving clause urges all elected officials to reject rhetoric equating protest or lawful gun possession with terrorism. - The fourth resolving clause commits members to protecting assembly and gun rights from federal immigration enforcement agencies. - The final clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to make copies available to the public and press. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2026-01-27) - Last action: Senate Read and Referred (2026-01-28) - Sponsors: Josh McLaurin, Harold Jones, Kim Jackson, Derek Mallow, Ed Harbison, David Lucas, Freddie Sims, Sonya Halpern, Jaha Howard, Nikki Merritt, Nabilah Islam Parkes, Emanuel Jones, Nan Orrock, Sheikh Rahman, Elena Parent, RaShaun Kemp, Sally Harrell, Michael Rhett, Kenya Wicks - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72449 > The history, votes, and amendments (95 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr605.md?full=1