The Guardian: Where Were Gun Groups Over Philando Castile?

February 5, 2026
2:18 pm

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The Guardian's latest piece, Where Were Gun Groups Over Philando Castile?, dives into a stark contrast that's been festering in gun rights circles for years: the thunderous support for Alex Pretti—a white open-carrier who faced down Ohio cops in 2020 with rifles blazing in viral video glory—versus the near radio silence from major 2A orgs after Philando Castile's 2016 death. Castile, a black Minnesotan with a valid permit, was gunned down during a traffic stop while calmly disclosing his legal firearm, uttering those fateful words: I do have a gun... don't worry about it. NRA bigwigs like Dana Loesch issued a tepid statement, but it was buried under crickets compared to the full-throated defenses for Pretti, whose standoff became a 2A rallying cry. The Guardian frames this as hypocrisy, and honestly, it's a gut punch that demands reckoning. Peel back the layers, and this isn't just about race—though that's the elephant in the room—it's a symptom of how 2A advocacy has been strategically selective. Pretti's case screamed stand your ground heroism to the base: armed resistance against perceived tyranny, perfect for fundraising blasts and memes. Castile? A polite CCW holder complying to the letter, yet shredded by 7 bullets because his skin didn't match the good guy with a gun archetype the movement loves to lionize. Data backs the disconnect: Black Americans are 25% more likely to be killed by police during encounters (per Mapping Police Violence), and permit holders like Castile face disproportionate scrutiny—yet GOA and others rallied hard for Pretti while Castile's family sued (and won) largely alone. This selective outrage erodes credibility; it hands ammo to critics who paint 2A as a white boys' club, alienating the 30% of black gun owners (Pew Research) who could swell our ranks. For the 2A community, the implications are seismic: ignore cases like Castile's, and we forfeit moral high ground, letting narratives like The Guardian's fester unchallenged. Time to amplify ALL permit holders—black, white, whatever—against qualified immunity and bad stops. Groups like the Second Amendment Foundation have quietly pushed Castile-inspired reforms; let's make that the norm. Unite behind every legal carrier wasted by the state, or watch the movement fracture while anti-gunners feast on the divide. Who's with me?

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The Guardian’s latest piece, Where Were Gun Groups Over Philando Castile?, dives into a stark contrast that’s been festering in gun rights circles for years: the thunderous support for Alex Pretti—a white open-carrier who faced down Ohio cops in 2020 with rifles blazing in viral video glory—versus the near radio silence from major 2A orgs after Philando Castile’s 2016 death. Castile, a black Minnesotan with a valid permit, was gunned down during a traffic stop while calmly disclosing his legal firearm, uttering those fateful words: I do have a gun… don’t worry about it. NRA bigwigs like Dana Loesch issued a tepid statement, but it was buried under crickets compared to the full-throated defenses for Pretti, whose standoff became a 2A rallying cry. The Guardian frames this as hypocrisy, and honestly, it’s a gut punch that demands reckoning.

Peel back the layers, and this isn’t just about race—though that’s the elephant in the room—it’s a symptom of how 2A advocacy has been strategically selective. Pretti’s case screamed stand your ground heroism to the base: armed resistance against perceived tyranny, perfect for fundraising blasts and memes. Castile? A polite CCW holder complying to the letter, yet shredded by 7 bullets because his skin didn’t match the good guy with a gun archetype the movement loves to lionize. Data backs the disconnect: Black Americans are 25% more likely to be killed by police during encounters (per Mapping Police Violence), and permit holders like Castile face disproportionate scrutiny—yet GOA and others rallied hard for Pretti while Castile’s family sued (and won) largely alone. This selective outrage erodes credibility; it hands ammo to critics who paint 2A as a white boys’ club, alienating the 30% of black gun owners (Pew Research) who could swell our ranks.

For the 2A community, the implications are seismic: ignore cases like Castile’s, and we forfeit moral high ground, letting narratives like The Guardian’s fester unchallenged. Time to amplify ALL permit holders—black, white, whatever—against qualified immunity and bad stops. Groups like the Second Amendment Foundation have quietly pushed Castile-inspired reforms; let’s make that the norm. Unite behind every legal carrier wasted by the state, or watch the movement fracture while anti-gunners feast on the divide. Who’s with me?

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