Dallas Shooting, Guns’ Racial History and the ‘Undeclared War Against Blackness’

 On today’s show:

• President Obama gave an early-morning address on Friday, calling the sniper attack on police officers at a Black Lives Matter protest “vicious, despicable, calculated attack on law enforcement. Five officers were killed and another six were wounded in the shooting, which came at the end of a peaceful rally. What should a gun owner who is armed do when pulled over to avoid a deadly encounter. Texas police detective and author Nick Selby will discuss who police operate in a country awash with guns.
• There are 13 million concealed carriers in the United States. Of that gun-owning population, 41 percent are white and just 19 percent are black. This week, two black men who reportedly were licensed gun owners were shot and killed by police. Carol Anderson, professor and author, will discuss whether a black man can even safely own a gun.
• The coordinated sniper attack in Dallas killed five police officers and wounded seven, and the violence carried over into Friday morning when police used a robot to detonate a bomb inside a parking garage where a sniper was holed up. Chris Connelly, reporter for KERA News, tells the latest from Dallas. 
• Meanwhile, in Minnesota, Gov. Mark Dayton said Thursday that he didn’t believe Philando Castile would have been killed if he had been white. It’s the “strongest language he’s used in two terms,” says Tim Nelson, Minnesota Public Radio reporter. Nelson gives the latest from St. Paul. 
• It’s Friday, so Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday will talk about this weekend’s new releases. Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, The Secret Life of Pets and Hunt for the Wilderpeople will be opening this week.
• Michael Eric Dyson, author of The Black President and The New York Times piece “What America Fails to See,” says the violent 72 hours are “America in a nutshell.”