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.