And this was "allegedly" in response to the two most recent killings by police of black men.
No. It wasn't. Those were used as an excuse.
However, as a sorta related aside:
I watched a couple of the videos on the Alton Sterling shooting in Baton Rouge (with the sound off). From what can be seen, I can't tell why the officer pulled his gun. It appears to have been intended as an intimidation tactic, because he initially points it at Sterling then keeps it in his hand as they're moving around on the ground. My guess, and it is only that, is that he screwed up and pulled the trigger when he shouldn't have, and there was no legitimate reason to do so.
Regarding the shooting in Minnesota, my understanding is that the driver, Mr. Castile, had previously told the officer he had a weapon. The girlfriend stated that he had a permit, but whether the officer heard that is unknown. Mr. Castile was allegedly reaching for his wallet, in response to the officer's instructions, and the officer shot him. Now, logic says that if someone tells the officer he has a weapon, the next questions from the officer should be "where is it?" and "do you have a permit?" (assuming a permit is required). At this point, my thought is that the officer got twitchy at the knowledge that the driver had a gun, and pulled his "to be ready" without first determining if there was any thing to worry about. Then when the driver followed the instructions he had been given, the officer reacted to his "to be ready" mindset, and shot the driver without proper provocation.
Those are my initial thoughts on both shootings. And only on these two shootings. At this point, I think both shoots were probably unjustified. I'm not dissing on cops. One of my best friends from college is a cop. But the reality is that are some out there who don't like that people other than them can legally carry.
I've been pulled over four times while carrying. The first time I handed over my permit with my driver's license. The deputy handed it back and ignored it. Didn't care. I still got a speeding ticket. The second time the young deputy told me I was required to tell him (not true in Oregon). I didn't argue, but said, "I'm sorry. They must have just changed the law." He dropped it, and I just got a warning. The third time I didn't hand over the permit with the license, and the officer never asked (but he knew me from when he worked at the gun store, so probably assumed I was carrying). The last time I didn't provide the permit, and the officer never asked. I earned that ticket. So, four encounters, two tickets, and only one officer who seemed to have a chip on his shoulder. One thing though. When the deputy asked if I had a gun, I told him, "Yes, but I have a permit." All six words together. He asked where, and I told him "on my right hip". I already had my wallet on the dash when he walked up to the passenger window, so my license was handy. I got the impression he didn't like it that I had the gun, so I made darn sure my hands went nowhere near it.
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