ST. LOUIS (AP) — A top National Rifle Association official says the media is sensationalizing the Trayvon Martin case and ignoring crimes that happen every day nationwide.
NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre made the comments Saturday during the group’s annual meeting in St. Louis. LaPierre didn’t specifically mention the Martin case but accused the media of “sensational reporting from Florida.”
Martin was unarmed when he was fatally shot Feb. 26 in Florida by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, who was charged with second-degree murder last week. Police initially didn’t charge Zimmerman, who claimed self-defense.
The case has drawn new attention to laws like the one invoked by Zimmerman that give people broad rights to use deadly force in self-defense. The NRA supports such laws, which are in effect in about 30 states.
