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Exclusive: NRA chief speaks out on 'Stand Your Ground' laws

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    Wayne LaPierre on case against George Zimmerman

  • Duration 6:40
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This is a Fox News alert moments ago a news conference wrapped up in Florida.

Where special task force greeted by governor Rick Scott is just minutes into its first public meeting on that states.

Stand your ground lost the task force was organized after George Zimmerman shot seventeen year old trade on -- In Sanford Florida last February and is arguing self defense.

-- sustain your ground law allows deadly force if you think your life is in danger -- bonds parents are also in attendance today and making their voices heard.

Leading a rally outside the hearing and demanding that the law be repealed.

What ms.

-- Santos is that is so Kate should be of vigilante and an obsessed society today and the public does not -- stand around for that we're certainly in Afghanistan.

Here now to talk about this publicly for the very first time on our air is Wayne Lapierre executive vice president and CEO of the National Rifle Association.

Welcome to American lives.

Thank you Shannon -- -- would -- -- -- first of all this task force now examining things in Florida getting public -- they're talking with law enforcement officers.

Prosecutors across the board do you think it it is helpful to examine it possibly changing or modifying even repealing these loss.

Was shedding off I don't know the facts and is this -- Zimmerman Trayvon Martin case I've learned all my tongue until I do.

But let -- -- what I do know the facts on and that's the Florida law and -- they shocking.

Ignorance of the law what it says in Florida.

Or it's being done for political purposes to seek political advantage all that law says in Florida is if your in your home.

And your glass breaks in the middle of the night.

There is a presumption that person is there to cause you imminent fear death or bodily harm.

If you're in your car and someone -- you and tries to pull you out.

There is a presumption that persons there to cause you imminent fear of death or bodily harm.

If you are on the street in Florida it's a completely different sexual law.

It's 776012.

Was opposed to 77601.

-- -- And if you're on the street in Florida what the law says is if someone -- you or -- attack you can meet force with force the law even says not deadly.

In parenthesis.

The only way if -- on the street in Florida you can use deadly force.

And this is no different than a -- on virtually every other state in the country in fact it's completely -- remarkable.

Is if you have a reasonable fear to believe.

You were in imminent fear of death or severe bodily harm but there's actually no presumption that all that that's the case.

So what you have if you're on the street in Florida is simply an excessive force situation.

Did the person given the circumstances use excessive force or not that's at issue of fact.

It's that issue -- of finding out the facts are and that's what juries are for.

But gosh it's been so much distortion as to what this -- -- we shoot first and everything else completely misinformed and the American public.

Do you think it's purposeful or do you think its accident now.

In this information.

You know I think saw a lot of it is by some of these politicians that want to impose a duty to retreat on the American public where -- glass breaks in the middle of the night.

And there's some criminal coming in the year house.

They want -- -- a duty to retreat on the crime victim with a long complicated checklist.

Rather than do what natural at the most terrifying moment of that person's life when their in his state of overwhelming reacted panic.

Which is to protect your life and your family from those that would destroy.

And they want -- -- pose that duty to retreat all over the country it's mainly politicians and newspapers.

You say the New York Times the Washington Post a lot of the big networks.

There really don't want the American public protecting themselves are -- -- world that distort this in order that.

Set their political agenda.

I won head listen a bit to what train on Martin's mother had to say -- today again this meeting on Florida let's listen to that -- that.

Many people do not know how to handle them -- with the -- and I just want them to take a look at this law.

I'm I'm not fit for them to get rid of it but please -- amid the please review this was a child this was the key.

That was shot in the heart.

Does that sound reasonable to you.

You know it's a tragedy I mean our heart goes out to -- it to to the family.

But.

Have you ever been threatened I -- you talked to crime victims in the Concord I'm not talking about this case but you talk to crime victims it's the most terrifying moment of their life.

They really are in his state of overwhelming reactive -- Instinctively.

They'll do anything at that point to save themselves.

They've done nothing wrong they're going about their business and yet someone is trying to destroy their whole life in the whole idea.

That -- you're -- twists this Florida case in this some national movement -- tried yet.

Impose a duty to retreat on the American public at -- most terrifying moment their life.

Read them let them protect himself and save himself and then open the crime victim up to civil lawsuits by a criminal that will bankrupt them.

He is crazy.

This duty to retreat may sound fine in that Ivy League cocktail party it doesn't work very well on the real world a crime victims.

OK I -- -- give you a chance to respond to something that came from the president Dan Gross of the Brady campaign against gun violence in the wake -- this particular case this is what he said the NRA wants -- to be a nation without any gun laws.

A nation where just about anybody can get a gun and take it anywhere they -- leaders in spokespeople use fear paranoia and misleading notions of self defense.

To justify flooding our streets with arms and violent people and the result is more tragedy like trade bonds.

Your response.

One of the great strengths of America is that law abiding people in this country can own firearms to protect themselves from violent criminals -- ought to be in jail that too many politicians.

Don't have the courage to enforce the law.

And and put the bad guys in jail and keep and there.

I mean -- the American public overwhelmingly supports the Second Amendment.

We have laws against drug dealers with guns gangs with guns felons with guns all kinds of gun laws.

And you have almost no enforcement of the federal laws on the books against the bad guys and that would really cut crime in.

We it I'm sorry -- we've got element there Albert coming up to heartbreak but Wayne Lapierre of the NRA we thank you sir for your time today discussed in this case say thanks again.

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