The NRA’s internal revolt over Philando Castile   

The Washington Post Brian Fung  19 hrs ago   

 

 

© Eric Miller/Reuters Diamond Reynolds weeps after she recounts the incidents that led to the fatal shooting of her boyfriend, Philando Castile, by Minneapolis area police during a traffic stop on July 6 at a “Black Lives Matter” demonstration…

 

After a fatal shooting in Minnesota, it wasn’t just gun control advocates criticizing the National Rifle Association.

Some blowback, surprisingly, was coming from within the organization.

People claiming to be lifelong members of the NRA challenged the group’s stance on gun rights after the organization appeared to drag its feet in addressing the police-involved shooting in Falcon Heights, Minn., of Philando Castile, a law-abiding gun owner, which had already garnered national attention.

The organization released a statement on the shooting following the attack in Dallas that left five officers dead. Although the NRA obliquely referenced Castile’s death by referring to “reports from Minnesota,” it neither named Castile directly nor took a position on the matter.

“It is important for the NRA not to comment while the investigation is ongoing,” the organization said. “Rest assured, the NRA will have more to say once all the facts are known.”

From the organization’s Facebook page:

"As the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights organization, the NRA proudly supports the right of law-abiding Americans to carry firearms for defense of themselves and others regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation.

"The reports from Minnesota are troubling and must be thoroughly investigated. In the meantime, it is important for the NRA not to comment while the investigation is ongoing.

"Rest assured, the NRA will have more to say once all the facts are known."

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