Who needs to carry all that ammunition?

[mystery-ak]

Who needs to carry all that ammunition?

Let’s not get lost in the weeds.

Stu Tarlowe | January 27, 2026

I have written two essays lately, first on American Thinker and then on Stu’s Stack o’ Stuff, regarding the shootings by federal agents of protestors in Minneapolis.

Now I’d like to chime in again, this time to specifically address a question that many have asked regarding Alex Pretti, who was legally-armed when he resisted and scuffled with Border Patrol agents and was fatally shot.

Pretti was armed with a SIG Sauer P320 AXG Combat, a 9mm semi-automatic pistol, and the handgun was fitted with a SIG Romeo (red dot) optic; a weapon so equipped would retail for $1,500 to $2,000. That model accepts (and is generally furnished with) an extended 20- to 21-round magazine (what some would erroneously call a “clip”). Pretti had a magazine in the pistol and carried two additional charged (loaded) magazines; I have not been able to determine the capacity of the magazines Pretti carried.

The question being asked, by persons with divergent views as to the rightness or wrongness of this shooting, is “Why did Pretti have so many magazines?”, sometimes phrased as “Who needs to carry all that ammunition?” or even “Who gets in a gunfight at 5 ft. and needs 3 magazines of ammo?”

more
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/01/who_needs_to_carry_all_that_ammunition.html

[catfish1957]

Hate repeating opinion, but Pretti deserves more of a Darwin Award Nomination, than Martyr Sainthood. 

[Elderberry]

I've never carried that much. Iused to carry a pocket 32ACP walking my dogs as one family let 4 large dogs race up to people growling as you walked by. I realized I didn't want to shoot a dog. I've always carried a knife, since about the 1st grade, but I didn't want to stab a dog as well. Well finally Texas made batons legal to carry, so I clip the smallest ASP baton on my back pocket. I first bought a large baton, but it was just too large for me. I walked past that house and those 4 dogs ran up to me and my dog and surrounded us growling. I whiped out that baton and they all ran back to their house. That was the last time they messed with us.

[MeganC]

Who needs to carry all that ammunition?

Let’s not get lost in the weeds.

Stu Tarlowe | January 27, 2026

I have written two essays lately, first on American Thinker and then on Stu’s Stack o’ Stuff, regarding the shootings by federal agents of protestors in Minneapolis.

Now I’d like to chime in again, this time to specifically address a question that many have asked regarding Alex Pretti, who was legally-armed when he resisted and scuffled with Border Patrol agents and was fatally shot.

Pretti was armed with a SIG Sauer P320 AXG Combat, a 9mm semi-automatic pistol, and the handgun was fitted with a SIG Romeo (red dot) optic; a weapon so equipped would retail for $1,500 to $2,000. That model accepts (and is generally furnished with) an extended 20- to 21-round magazine (what some would erroneously call a “clip”). Pretti had a magazine in the pistol and carried two additional charged (loaded) magazines; I have not been able to determine the capacity of the magazines Pretti carried.

The question being asked, by persons with divergent views as to the rightness or wrongness of this shooting, is “Why did Pretti have so many magazines?”, sometimes phrased as “Who needs to carry all that ammunition?” or even “Who gets in a gunfight at 5 ft. and needs 3 magazines of ammo?”

more
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/01/who_needs_to_carry_all_that_ammunition.html

If it was legal for Pretti to possess ammunition then the amount of it or his reason for it is irrelevant.

[mountaineer]

How much ammo he was carrying or why should be completely irrelevant - if he hadn't (apparently) intended to do some harm that day. Was he hoping something would happen? Was he hoping he'd have the opportunity to kill an ICE officer and be a hero to the left?

When I carry for self-defense, I don't have an extra magazine with me, but some of my friends do carry a couple extras on their belts all their time. But, then again, we don't holster up and load our magazines in preparation for heading downtown to insert ourselves into police operations and get in scuffles with LE.

[Free Vulcan]

Hate repeating opinion, but Pretti deserves more of a Darwin Award Nomination, than Martyr Sainthood.

Definitely. You go into a situation like that and play silly games, you will win silly prizes.

They do this numbnuts game of chicken all the time. 'Buh buh, I was just helping an injured woman!' No you weren't. You were human shielding and playing passive aggressive, waiting for an opportunity.

Bottom line is he didn't comply with officer instructions. Play your gray areas all you want buddy but that's where you went wrong.