Tracy Martin, the father of killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, said to legislators during a Wednesday appearance on Capitol Hill that he’d like to see his son’s name attached to a measure that cracks down on right-to-carry gun laws.
“I think 50 years from now, when I’m dead and gone, I would like to see Trayvon Martin’s name attached to some type of statute, amendment, that says you can’t simply profile our children, shoot them in the heart, kill them and say you were defending yourself,” he said, to the Congressional Caucus on Black Men and Boys, United Press International reported.
Mr. Martin also said he wouldn’t allow the acquittal of George Zimmerman of murder charges “sum up who Trayvon was,” WUSA-TV in Washington reported.
He’d like to see his son’s death lead to reforms in stand-your-ground laws, he said, UPI reported.
Other attendees at the gathering, meanwhile, said black America was reeling from the trial and wanted change.
Rep. Frederica Wilson said black males “are angry,” UPI reported. “They have a hole in their heart for all kinds of societal issues that impact black boys that I am so familiar with.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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