Bigotry in the NRA: Part II

Less than 24 hours after police officers fatally shot a black male in possession of a gun, another black male was shot and killed by police gunfire after telling the officer he had a licensed firearm on him.

The brutal aftermath of Philando Castile's murder was recorded on cell phone by his girlfriend, Lavish Reynolds, and broadcasted live on Facebook, their 4-year-old daughter in the back seat witnessing the whole exchange. The couple were pulled over for a broken tailgate by St. Anthony Police in Minnesota, and when the officer asked for identification from Castile, he told officers he had a concealed carry permit and a gun. This completely legal and helpful information somehow led the police to feel threatened and fire on the victim when he moved his arms slightly while trying to retrieve his wallet.

The fatal encounter with the police has eerie similarities to the very recent death of Alton Sterling, killed by police after someone called 911 over a man brandishing a gun. Besides both being caught through amateur footage, but both men were shot for being in possession in gun while simultaneously not being in violation of any violent laws. Even within these legal boundaries, the National Rifle Association has remained silent on these two exchanges with law enforcement over guns.

So while the NRA has fought endlessly in states for guns to be available to anybody and be carried anywhere, the group is mostly missing from protests or the discussion on social media. They are in the middle of an awkward position of who to be in solidarity with, either black individuals legally armed and killed or law enforcement that are setting a precedent for shooting at people carrying firearms. Not too surprising, many Second Amendment supporters align with the police force, justifying that those in blue can do no wrong and the victims had done something wrong that ultimately caused their deaths.

But really it's because white gun enthusiasts don't feel threatened by the police, and they know the police aren't threatened by them as much as a black person in possession of a gun. White gun owners know police trust them unlike black people, thinking they own their gun for protection while black males are more prone to violence and crime. They are not wrong on many of these points, white privilege expands as far as owning a gun, but many are incorrect in thinking black males arm themselves because of gangs or drugs. They need it to protect themselves and their family from looming threats, now increasingly becoming the police.