ST. LOUIS — A top National Rifle Association official levied sharp criticism against the national media Saturday, accusing it of sensationalizing the Trayvon Martin case and ignoring other crimes that happen across the country every day.
NRA executive vice president Wayne LaPierre didn’t mention the Martin case in his speech at the group’s annual meeting, but he accused the media of “sensational reporting from Florida.” Martin, 17, was unarmed when he was fatally shot Feb. 26 in Sanford, Fla., by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, who claims self-defense.
LaPierre had declined to comment on the case, citing a need to learn all the facts. At the NRA gathering, he said violent crime is an everyday fact of life in every American city.
Some gun-control advocates have seized on the shooting to renew the debate about guns.
The Associated Press
