The National Rifle Association issued a statement Friday afternoon on Philando Castile, who was shot and killed by police in Falcon Heights, Minn. Wednesday night. Without referring to the African-American man by name, the NRA said of the "reports from Minnesota:"
According to Castile's girlfriend Diamond Reynolds, who captured his death on Facebook Live shortly after he was shot, Reynolds had a permit to carry a gun legally and gave officer Jeronimo Yanez a heads-up about his gun. Many, including Complex's own Ross Scarano, wondered why the NRA hadn't jumped forward to defend Castile given its mission to ardently fight for the rights of gun owners.
The NRA issued a statement on the Dallas police shooting, which is still under investigation, within 24 hours of the incident.
On June 13, while investigations were still underway on the June 12 Orlando nightclub shooting, the NRA took to Twitter to comment on gun control and terrorism.