Equality In Arms

01/25/2026

I was contacted by the NY Times and asked to comment on the shooting of Alex J. Pretti by CBP/ICE officers today. A short portion of my statement was featured in the linked article.

Here was my full statement:

"Today, my heart is broken again as I witnessed the killing of Alex J. Pretti by CBP officers. I mourn for him and for his family and loved ones who will never see him again. I will refrain from commentary on the ultimate legality or justification of the officer's actions, but DHS's statement as read by Greg Bovino, is demonstrably false. The language is precisely designed to conjure an image of a crazed assailant launching himself at CBP officers, pistol drawn and firing with the intent to slaughter as many of them as possible. Watch the video side-by-side with the DHS statement and be honest with yourself. If the law is truly on their side, and their cause truly righteous, why blatantly misrepresent what we all see with our own eyes?

Like many of the statements we've seen from DHS agencies in recent weeks, this one was crafted as a warning to those of us who disagree with their brutal, inhumane tactics. It was designed to dehumanize Alex, and by extension all peaceful observers and protestors, to justify their killing to those who still support this nightmare. The themes are regurgitated and repeated from previous events in order to create normalcy and acceptance of the violence being perpetrated by these agencies against everyday Americans.

Americans across the political spectrum are living in fear, and how can they not be when this is what we are seeing? We can't let this become normal, and we can't stop believing what our eyes are telling us. They're not wrong".

Christopher Fernandez
Founder/ Instructor
Equality In Arms Defensive Training
Orlando, FL
1/24/26

The National Rifle Association and others have argued citizens need guns to fend off government. The killing of Alex Jeffrey Pretti, who carried a pistol, set off debate.

01/19/2026

The 2nd Amendment folks are mad that left wing protesters are starting to come to protests with guns. "Oh I'm sorry, is my right to keep and bear arms interfering with your tyranny"?

01/13/2026

Student: "I'll only carry when I'm going somewhere a little sketchy".

Me: "If victims could choose the time and place of a crime... there'd be no victims".

01/11/2026

If the government can't keep you safe from itself, it can't keep you safe from anything else. That's common sense.

12/16/2025

Couldn't have said it better myself!!

12/14/2025

I had the great privilege of being in the room to take in these powerful stories. I shed grown man tears for the lives lost... sons, brothers, fathers, friends. And I listened as these men turned their personal experiences with tragedy into activism, advocacy, and growth for themselves and for communities affected most by violence. This panel included men of excellence who have dedicated themselves to healing communities through education, violence prevention, and economic and social empowerment, teaching people to protect themselves and their rights. I was so inspired and I'm happy to share a small piece of this experience.

****mstraining

12/06/2025

On our way to Okeechobee for Shoot the Sh*t Range Day organized by Protect Peace. Building a Pro-Second Amendment, Anti-violence community one step at a time and helping communities affected by violence to learn life saving skills.

11/27/2025

Did you know that since 2015 there has been a steady increase in violent crimes motivated by hate?

It should come as no surprise that as dehumanizing language becomes common, violence against minority groups and their allies follows.

Our safety is not up for debate!

Too many people wait until it’s too late to think about personal safety. Equality In Arms gives you the skills, confidence, and clarity you need to protect yourself and the people you love.

Our Mission is to provide a safe, inclusive, welcoming environment for you to learn how to become a thoughtful, principled, ethical self-defender…one who values life and de-escalates conflict, but who is prepared to defend against a deadly threat in the worst-case scenario.

Visit equalityinarms.com/ to learn more and Become Your Own First Responder!
View all upcoming class dates at shootingclasses.com/equalityinarms
Training Excellence - Inclusive Community

11/26/2025

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11/25/2025

11/23/2025

This is a blatant misrepresentation of highly curated data. There are many reputable studies and meta analyses showing this to be at best misleading, and at worst, blatantly false. The largest study done on gun ownership was the 2021 National Fi****ms survey conducted by Dr. William English of Georgetown University, which found that there are over 81 million gun owners and over 1.67 Million defensive gun uses per year, with most defensive firearm uses (81%) resulting in no shot being fired. The simple presence of the firearm was enough to end the threat.

This is why organizations like Everytown cannot be trusted. While any study and it's finding and methods can be debated or rebutted in good faith, these organizations simply cherry-pick data and post blatantly misleading information which supports a disarmament agenda.

The fact that studies like this from reputable sources and institutions exist, and that Everytown simply ignores them, should show any good faith actor that these organizations are playing them for fools. ****ms

For decades, the gun lobby has used fear, paranoia, and disinformation to sell more guns to more people. The reality is: Using a gun for self-defense is rare and ineffective.

Guns are more likely to cause harm than prevent it. Full stop. The gun lobby’s profit-driven disinformation campaign makes our communities less safe. https://etwn.us/4ikK7RI

11/22/2025

Can you imagine if every state could make their own abortion laws and what chaos that would be?...oh wait, we're there. How about if ever state and every individual municipality had a different idea about who should be able to get married, citing "public safety" and "protecting children" as the reason for this disparity...oh wait, we've been there.

Now imagine if every single state or municipality could separately decide not to recognize the driver's licenses from other states and by simply crossing a state line unknowingly, you could go from being a law-abiding citizen, to a felon, overnight, losing all of your rights and your freedom. This is the scheme in place for legal, law-abiding gun owners today.

Every day I wear a firearm, legally and lawfully. I could drive through every state from my home in Florida to Virginia and I would be a sane, sober, moral, law following American. But if I drove over the wrong bridge and ended up in D.C. I'd be a lawless, violent felon, deserving of years behind bars and the ruining of my life and that of my family's...How can my fellow liberals and Progressives, who claim to be people of "common sense" - how can you believe this is rational?

These disparities disproportionately affect everyday Americans and are disproportionately used to imprison the minority communities you claim to care about so much.

Guns are not going anywhere. Please, wake up before you continue to support the means to fill our for-profit prisons even more. The common sense thing to do is to support national concealed carry reciprocity and build systems of education and guidance that make it easy for gu. owners not to run afoul of state laws. End the war on law-abiding gun owners. That's just common sense gun legislation.

In my 23 years of military service, from introductory pilot training to air combat operations in Afghanistan, and from active duty to the reserves, I have seen a lot, and thus little surprises me. But right now Congress is doing something that I find shocking and unacceptable, and it will cost the l...