A National Rifle Association of America event ended with a man shot on Tuesday, April 8.
The unnamed New Jersey resident was attending a program at the Steel City Gun Club, a gun range near Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, when he accidentally shot himself in the leg.
Bethlehem Police Deputy Chief Todd Repsher said that emergency vehicles were dispatched, and the man was taken to St. Luke's University Hospital. His self-inflicted wound is not life-threatening.
Deputy Chief Repsher also reported that several security agencies and police departments were in attendance at the NRA event. The wounded man's name has not been released.
The NRA has not issued a statement regarding the incident.
The NRA has been under fire recently for CEO Wayne LaPierre's statements at the March 2014 Conservative Political Action Conference.
"We don't trust government, because government itself has proven unworthy of our trust," LaPierre said. "We trust ourselves and we trust what we know in our hearts to be right."
While many are calling for tighter gun control laws after military base shootings and other tragedies, LaPierre stated that what we need is more guns.
"We trust our freedom," LaPierre insisted. "In this uncertain world, surrounded by lies and corruption, there is no greater freedom than the right to survive, to protect our families with all the rifles, shotguns and handguns we want."
LaPierre made similar remarks when questioned about civil rebellion by Senator Dick Durbin in a 2013 Senate hearing on gun violence.
"Mr. LaPierre," began Senator Durbin, "I run into some of your members in Illinois and here's what they tell me: 'Senator, you don't get the Second Amendment.'
"Your NRA members say, 'You just don't get it. It's not just about hunting. It's not just about sports. It's not just about shooting targets. It's not just about defending ourselves from criminals.We need the firepower and the ability to protect ourselves from our government'-- from our government, from the police-- 'if they knock on our doors and we need to fight back.'"
When asked if he agreed with that point of view, LaPierre stated that that view is the exact reason the Second Amendment exists.
"Senator, I think without any doubt, if you look at why our founding fathers put it there," Lapierre began, "they had lived under the tyranny of King George and they wanted to make sure that these free people in this new country would never be subjugated again and have to live under tyranny."
Last year, the NRA had over 5 million members.
