Our view: Verdict in Minnesota police shooting shows how some licensed gun owners are regarded by Second Amendment advocates as more equal than others

The National Rifle Association is not normally a shrinking violet in the defense of licensed gun owners, but last Friday’s acquittal of Jeronimo Yanez, the Minnesota police officer charged with second-degree manslaughter and dangerous discharge of a firearm in the death of Philando Castile, produced not even a tweet from the NRA. Given the considerable coverage given the shooting — the victim informed the officer that he had a permit and a firearm during a routine traffic stop, and the aftermath was even streamed live by Mr. Castile’s girlfriend on Facebook — that may strike Second Amendment advocates as peculiar. Perhaps it’s more than that.

The case hinged on one fairly simple question: