What exact posts did the NRA publish on X regarding the Minneapolis shooting and are they archived?
Executive summary
The National Rifle Association posted multiple messages on X in the immediate aftermath of the Jan. 24 Minneapolis shooting that criticized prosecutorial comments and accused local Democratic leaders of inciting anti‑law‑enforcement violence, while also calling for investigation and de‑escalation; reporting reproduces key quotes but does not provide direct archived links to the NRA’s original X posts [1] [2] [3]. Available news accounts quote two distinct NRA statements — one condemning a federal prosecutor’s suggestion about when officers might be justified in shooting, and another accusing Minnesota political leaders of provoking violence — but none of the supplied sources include an archival URL or confirm whether X preserved the NRA’s posts [1] [2].
1. What the reporting records as the NRA’s statements
News organizations quote the NRA’s response to U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli’s X post as saying: “This sentiment from the First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California is dangerous and wrong,” and that “Responsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making generalizations and demonizing law‑abiding citizens,” language published by NBC Los Angeles and cited elsewhere [1]. Separately, Reuters and Fox News report the NRA posted that “For months, radical progressive politicians like [Minnesota Gov.] Tim Walz have incited violence against law enforcement officers who are simply trying to do their jobs,” language repeatedly attributed to the NRA in the immediate coverage [2] [3].
2. How those quotes fit the broader NRA messaging reported
The reported NRA posts mixed two moves: rebuke of a federal prosecutor’s rhetoric about when officers might be “legally justified” in shooting someone approaching with a firearm, and partisan targeting of Minnesota Democrats for allegedly “inciting” anti‑law‑enforcement sentiment; outlets framed the NRA’s posts as both a defense of lawfully armed citizens and a critique of local political leaders’ rhetoric [1] [2] [3]. Those dual themes match wider gun‑rights reaction documented across outlets: calls for an independent investigation into the killing, coupled with insistence that lawful carry should not be conflated with criminal intent [4] [5].
3. What the reporting does not show — exact timestamps, full thread, or archival links
None of the supplied sources reproduce a complete X thread, provide screenshots of the NRA account archive, or link to an archived copy of the NRA’s posts; coverage quotes short excerpts and summarizes the organization’s position but does not furnish the NRA’s exact, full post text or an archival URL [1] [2] [3]. Because the primary reports are secondary citations of X content rather than direct preservation, this reporting cannot confirm whether the NRA’s posts remain on X, were edited, or were archived by services such as the Internet Archive; that absence is explicit in the source set [1] [2].
4. Competing accounts and implicit agendas to note
Sources show immediate political contestation: federal law‑enforcement officials and the Trump administration emphasized the recovered firearm and argued the shooting might be justified, while gun‑rights groups pushed back against characterizations that lawful carrying equals dangerous intent — the NRA’s posts fit that pushback and align with a political framing that blames local Democratic leaders for fostering hostility to officers [5] [6] [4]. Reporters and other outlets raised skepticism about some official claims (for example, video evidence contradicting DHS accounts), highlighting that the NRA’s framing occurs amid contested factual narratives and political incentives on all sides [7] [8].
5. Bottom line on archival status and next steps for verification
Based on the reporting provided, the exact NRA excerpts reported are those quoted above, but there is no confirmation in these sources that the NRA’s X posts have been archived or preserved with a timestamped, publicly accessible link; verifying archival status requires checking X directly or third‑party archiving services (Internet Archive, webcitation) or obtaining screenshots from the NRA’s account management — steps not documented in the supplied reporting [1] [2].