I think it's relevant to the cops who spoke with him on multiple occasions and never questioned the legality of his openly carrying a loaded rifle in an area of unrest.
Is it common/expected of American cops to ID people carrying weapons in the middle of a protest (or in any other scenario)? Not trying to call it right or wrong, just curious if it you'd expect it had it not been for hindsight.
I don't know if it's common or not, and I'm not saying everybody carrying a weapon should necessarily be ID'd. BUT, we take selling cigarettes to minors very seriously in this country; if you don't look like you're 30 years old, you're carded. I think this is a somewhat more serious situation. If it's not standard practice to make sure someone who looks like he could be a minor is allowed to be carrying his weapon it damn well should be.
Again, the kid is stated to have conversed with the cops on multiple occasions. It would have been nothing for one of them to say, "Oh, yeah, got some ID?"
And honestly the fact that there was rioting is irrelevant. This should be standard practice in this country period.
And in a country where it's honestly argued that racial profiling is good because it lowers crime... is it too much to ask that a white guy openly carrying a loaded gun get the same treatment?