On landing in Poland Thursday, President Obama spoke for 17 minutes on the recent shooting deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile by police officers, concluding that “we are better than this” and calling the shootings “symptomatic” of the racial disparities within America’s criminal justice system.
The president’s statement came on the same day Democrats singled out the NRA as a scapegoat for gun violence, and many are claiming that gun rights supporters are exhibiting a double standard by not defending Sterling, who was carrying a gun in Louisiana, an open carry state.
Think Progress, for example, published a piece called, “Why Black Lives Don’t Matter to the NRA,” with Kira Lerner writing that “in Louisiana, where Alton Sterling was shot Tuesday night at a convenience store, a license is not required to openly carry a firearm” and noting that the NRA supports open carry legislation.
Two black victims of police violence were legally carrying firearms.
The NRA has ignored them both. https://t.co/4vOVsFbpBZ
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) July 7, 2016
Sterling didn't legally have a gun. He was a felon
— stuart birdman (@stuartbirdman) July 7, 2016
Unfortunately, arguing that Sterling was not carrying legally almost guarantees the person making the point will be accused of saying Sterling deserved to be shot.
https://twitter.com/onesizefitsSLIM/status/750643066374090752
https://twitter.com/mitchellnkeo/status/751044995113627648
I can't believe I read a comment justifying Alton Sterling's shooting because he was a convicted felon in possession of a gun.
— Norhane (@NorhaneSamy) July 7, 2016
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It doesn’t matter how lightly one treads around the issue, but it’s worth getting the facts straight even if it ruins the narrative.
@jeffzugale Sterling was a felon (multiple felonies, actually) in possession. It wasn't even legal for him to *touch* a gun.
— Greg Koenig (@gak_pdx) July 7, 2016
https://twitter.com/ifft10/status/751196142600347648
Neutral fact, for the record: Sterling was prohibited from carrying a firearm because he was a felon, on probation. https://t.co/C5JVDEBhRZ
— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) July 7, 2016
In Louisiana, you can apply to get your right to own a firearm back ten years after a felony conviction, but this didn’t apply to Sterling.
— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) July 7, 2016
Convicted felons also need to ask the ATF for relief from federal restrictions, but at present the agency isn’t processing applications.
— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) July 7, 2016
None of that is to endorse the actions of the police in the Sterling case, just to point out that this particular talking point is false.
— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) July 7, 2016
Alton Sterling was a felon. He couldn't be licensed to carry. Open carry state doesn't mean anyone can carry/reach for their guns. @trapcry
— Ash (@shwee_beez) July 7, 2016
https://twitter.com/_joeycortese/status/750712895890087937
The difference betwixt Sterling & Castile was that as a felon, Sterling couldn't legally carry a gun.
— Happy Thanksgiving & Epstein Didn't Kill Himself (@drawandstrike) July 7, 2016
@cbiemiller @SeanAstin Is it the NRA's fault that convicted felon Alton Sterling was carrying a gun??
— Conservativ American (@JustConservativ) July 7, 2016
It’s always the NRA’s fault, isn’t it? The narrative must be preserved.
Possible Sterling wasn't legally carrying because of prior felony conviction. But Louisiana does not require permit https://t.co/Jt83arzTcK
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) July 7, 2016
So there was no way for the police to have known that at the time.
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) July 7, 2016
As editor of the site, any chance of adding that “wasn’t legally carrying” factoid to Think Progress’ published indictment of the NRA?
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