Rob Canfield Condemns Calls to Disarm Americans at Protests, Demands Neutral Investigation, and Calls Out Clear Second Amendment Infringements

Brick, NJ — Rob Canfield, Republican candidate for Congress in New Jersey’s 4th Congressional District, released the following statement today in response to the January 24, 2026 shooting in Minneapolis and subsequent comments from political leadership urging Americans not to carry firearms while exercising their right to protest.

Canfield first extended condolences to the family and loved ones of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse who was killed during a federal immigration enforcement operation.

“The loss of life under any circumstances is tragic,” Canfield said. “Alex Pretti’s family deserves the truth, the public deserves transparency, and justice demands accountability.”

Canfield called for a full, independent, and neutral investigation into the shooting, stressing that it should not be handled internally or politically. He urged that a credible third party, such as another state’s state police agency or a multi-state investigative task force, be granted full authority to review all body-camera footage, communications, forensic evidence, and witness testimony so the facts can be established openly and without bias.

Canfield sharply criticized government and political leaders who have advised Americans not to carry firearms while protesting, calling such guidance a direct infringement of the Second Amendment.

“The Constitution does not say the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed unless you are protesting or unless the government is uncomfortable,” Canfield said. “It says shall not be infringed. Period.”

He argued that forcing Americans to choose between their First Amendment right to protest and their Second Amendment right to self-defense is unconstitutional, stating that rights do not cancel each other out and that disarmament cannot be a prerequisite for peaceful assembly.

Canfield also called out what he described as political hypocrisy from Democratic leadership, noting that many officials praising Pretti as a hero represent states where he would have faced felony charges for lawfully carrying a concealed firearm at a protest.

“You cannot honor someone in death while supporting laws that would have made them a criminal in your own state,” Canfield said. “That contradiction exposes the reality behind these policies. They are not about safety; they are about control.”

He added that in many states, a citizen can legally own a firearm, legally carry it, and still become a felon simply by attending a rally or exercising the right to protest. Canfield described this as government overreach incompatible with the Constitution.

“Telling law-abiding Americans to leave their firearms at home does not make protests safer,” Canfield said. “It ensures that only criminals and the government are armed, while peaceful citizens are stripped of their rights at the moment they are most vulnerable.”

Canfield concluded by calling restrictions on lawful firearm carry at protests clear and unacceptable infringements of the Second Amendment.

“The Constitution is not optional,” he said. “Rights do not disappear in public spaces, and Americans should never be told to surrender one freedom in order to exercise another. We owe the Pretti family the truth, we owe the public accountability, and we owe every American the full protection of their constitutional rights.”