NRA finally makes statement about Philando Castile during heated debate

(CNN Screen capture)

The NRA has finally released a statement about the death of Philando Castile, a man who had a permit to carry a weapon but was still shot by former officer Jeronimo Yanez.

Two days after Castiles death, the NRA released only a vague statement that said they would not comment on an investigation until all the facts were known. That was the only comment put out by the NRA, despite the fact that, as many activists pointed out, this is exactly the kind of thing that the NRA has said that it stands against: a man killed for having a weapon despite lawfully exercising his Second Amendment rights.

Finally, on Sunday, NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch said on CNN that the death of Castile was “absolutely awful” and “a terrible tragedy that could have been avoided.”

— Philando Castile’s high school classmates award scholarship in his honor — 

“I don’t agree with every single decision that comes out from courtrooms of America. There are a lot of variables in this particular case and there were a lot of things that I wish would have been done differently,” Loesch told the CNN host. “Do I believe that Philando Castile deserved to lose his life over a [traffic] stop? I absolutely do not. I also think that this is why we have things like NRA carry guard, not only to reach out to the citizens to go over what to do during stops like this, but also to work with law enforcement so that they understand what citizens are experiencing when they go through stops like this.”

The apology comes in the middle of a heated back-and-forth between the NRA and the Women’s March organization after a controversial NRA ad featuring Loesch that suggested that protesters were dangerous and that people should defend themselves against protesters by carrying guns. The Women’s March responded by announcing a boycott of the NRA.

In that environment, then, the Women’s March saw Loesch’s CNN interview and posted it on social media, writing, “If the NRA truly recognizes that he should be alive today, they should join us in calling on the DOJ to indict the officer responsible on civil rights charges.”