The National Rifle Association responded forcefully on Wednesday to Attorney General Eric Holder’s comments on Trayvon Martin, arguing that the Obama administration is using the shooting death of the unarmed teenager “to push their political agenda.”
Holder expressed opposition on Tuesday to “stand your ground” laws, which have drawn intense criticism after neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman invoked self-defense in the fatal shooting of Martin last year in Florida. Zimmerman was acquitted of all charges last weekend. In a statement, NRA executive director Chris Cox suggested that Holder and the administration are exploiting the shooting to build support for new gun laws.
“The attorney general fails to understand that self-defense is not a concept, it’s a fundamental human right,” Cox said in the statement, according to The Hill. “To send a message that legitimate self-defense is to blame is unconscionable and demonstrates once again that this administration will exploit tragedies to push their political agenda.”
