Progressives who once spoke confidently and consistently about the dangers posed by guns are now, increasingly, buying firearms themselves. Many cite concerns with the openly authoritarian Trump administration, rising political violence and the sense that institutions meant to protect are either weakened or being repurposed against them. Federal agents operate with numbers, armor, intelligence and institutional protection, though not the absolute immunity Vice President J.D. Pretti, an intensive care nurse, was legally carrying a firearm when federal agents confronted him. Unqualified, scared, federal agents with backgrounds of violence are clearly over-emboldened and overreactive in this moment.