NRA spokesperson says Botham Jean should have been a licensed gun owner, outcome might be different

According to the National Rife Association, last week’s shooting in which a white Dallas police officer shot a Black man in his own apartment could have been much different if the shooting victim had been a law-abiding gun owner.

In the Monday edition of Relentless, a program on NRATV, host and NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch offered a hypothetical account of what could have happened if Botham Shem Jean, 26, was a lawful gun owner when Dallas Police Officer Amber Guyger entered his apartment after a 15-hour work shift and fatally shot the employee of Pricewaterhouse Coopers.

“This could have been very different if Botham Jean had been, say he was a law-abiding gun owner and he saw somebody coming into his apartment,” Loesch said. “I don’t think there’s any context that the actions would have been justified.”

Guyger, a four-year veteran of the police department, shot Jean, 26, when she entered his apartment at their mutual apartment complex.

The Texas Rangers, the equivalent of state police, have taken over the case from the Dallas Police Department in order to eliminate the appearance of any impropriety.

Guyger has been charged with manslaughter in the case but demonstrators who showed up en masse to the Dallas Police Department on Monday said that is not enough.

Loesch of the NRA, meanwhile, made her comments in a video conversation with Jeff Houston, the NRA’s carry guard of operations, who noted that Guyger was coming from a long workshift when she entered Jean’s apartment. But he pointed out that Guyger should still have been aware of the situation.

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“The job that a police officer has is often strenuous and can take a toll on you,” Houston said. “But look, after 15 hours of hard work, one should not be in such a state of discoherence that you’re walking in and not knowing that you’re in your own place.”

Houston added, “Something strange is going on here. … The (Texas) Rangers will do a good job of investigating this, but it’s just a tragic thing.”

The case is headed to a grand jury, CBS reported.

Guyger told law enforcement that she mistakenly went to Jean’s fourth-floor apartment, directly above hers, saw a large silhouette, gave verbal commands that were ignored and then fired her handgun twice, according to CBS.

Lawyers for Jean’s family members dispute the police officer’s account, saying neighbors report they heard knocking, a woman’s voice saying “Let me in. Let me in,” and a man’s voice saying, “Oh my God, why did you do that?”