Gun-Rights Groups Call for Dialogue After Alabama Police Shooting

A pair of gun-rights groups called for a national dialogue between law enforcement and the gun-carrying community on Tuesday after a legally armed man was mistakenly killed during a shooting at a mall in Alabama last week.

The Second Amendment Foundation and the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms released a joint statement calling for police officers and law enforcement officials to sit down with gun-carry advocates and firearms trainers to discuss ways to prevent legally armed civilians from being shot by police during future incidents. The groups said the conversation was necessary to save lives of good Samaritans who are trying to defend themselves or others during attacks in public places. They said that while cases of mistaken shootings during attacks have been rare up until now, the prevalence of concealed carry means they could become more common if steps aren't taken to prevent them.

"There are more than 17 million gun owners in the United States who are licensed to carry concealed," Alan Gottlieb, founder of the Second Amendment Foundation, said in a statement. "In addition, there are untold numbers of legally armed citizens in states where permits or licenses are not required for either concealed or open carry. In an active shooter incident, these citizens are well within their rights to act in self-defense or in defense of others, even when it means they draw a defensive sidearm but don't immediately open fire."

Gottlieb said concealed carriers have ended attacks on public places across the country, even in recent months.