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| George Zimmerman to Auction Gun Used to Kill Trayvon Martin | George Zimmerman to Auction Gun Used to Kill Trayvon Martin |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| George Zimmerman, the Florida man who fatally shot Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager, said he plans to auction the handgun used in the 2012 killing on Thursday. | George Zimmerman, the Florida man who fatally shot Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager, said he plans to auction the handgun used in the 2012 killing on Thursday. |
| “I’m a free American. I can do what I’d like with my possessions,” Mr. Zimmerman said on Wednesday in an interview with WOFL, a broadcaster in Orlando, Fla. | “I’m a free American. I can do what I’d like with my possessions,” Mr. Zimmerman said on Wednesday in an interview with WOFL, a broadcaster in Orlando, Fla. |
| A listing for the weapon, a Kel-Tec PF-9, appeared on the auction website gunbroker.com, but by early afternoon on Thursday, the page was displaying a note that said, “Sorry, but the item you have requested is no longer in the system.” | A listing for the weapon, a Kel-Tec PF-9, appeared on the auction website gunbroker.com, but by early afternoon on Thursday, the page was displaying a note that said, “Sorry, but the item you have requested is no longer in the system.” |
| It was unclear what led to the post’s disappearance. Email and phone messages left with gunbroker.com, based in Georgia, were not immediately returned on Thursday. | It was unclear what led to the post’s disappearance. Email and phone messages left with gunbroker.com, based in Georgia, were not immediately returned on Thursday. |
| Mr. Zimmerman, 32, whose killing of Trayvon as a neighborhood watch leader made the 17-year-old boy a symbol of racial profiling and the face of a protest movement, said he had recently recovered the weapon from the Justice Department. | |
| “I thought it’s time to move past the firearm,” he said in the interview with WOFL. “And if I sell it and it sells, I move past it. Otherwise, it’s going in a safe for my grandkids and never to be used or seen again.” | “I thought it’s time to move past the firearm,” he said in the interview with WOFL. “And if I sell it and it sells, I move past it. Otherwise, it’s going in a safe for my grandkids and never to be used or seen again.” |
| Tracy Martin, Trayvon’s father, released a statement through his lawyer early Thursday saying the family would not be commenting on the “actions of that person that murdered Trayvon.” | Tracy Martin, Trayvon’s father, released a statement through his lawyer early Thursday saying the family would not be commenting on the “actions of that person that murdered Trayvon.” |
| “The Trayvon Martin Foundation is committed to its mission of ending senseless gun violence in the United States,” the statement said. “We are laser focused on furthering that mission.” | “The Trayvon Martin Foundation is committed to its mission of ending senseless gun violence in the United States,” the statement said. “We are laser focused on furthering that mission.” |
| The announcement of the sale set off angry reactions on social media, where people described the move as “sick,” “disgusting” and “beyond tasteless.” | The announcement of the sale set off angry reactions on social media, where people described the move as “sick,” “disgusting” and “beyond tasteless.” |
| Representative Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat from Brooklyn, released a statement Thursday that called Mr. Zimmerman a “cold-blooded killer” who should be in prison. | Representative Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat from Brooklyn, released a statement Thursday that called Mr. Zimmerman a “cold-blooded killer” who should be in prison. |
| “It should shock the conscience of every decent American that this man is peddling his murder weapon for sale,” Mr. Jeffries said. | “It should shock the conscience of every decent American that this man is peddling his murder weapon for sale,” Mr. Jeffries said. |
| Mr. Zimmerman, who has said that he faces threats, could not reached for comment. | Mr. Zimmerman, who has said that he faces threats, could not reached for comment. |
| In his auction listing, which remained viewable online in cached form, Mr. Zimmerman had described the gun as “a piece of American history.” The bidding was to start at $5,000. | In his auction listing, which remained viewable online in cached form, Mr. Zimmerman had described the gun as “a piece of American history.” The bidding was to start at $5,000. |
| “Prospective bidders, I am honored and humbled to announce the sale of an American Firearm Icon,” the listing says. “The firearm for sale is the firearm that was used to defend my life and end the brutal attack from Trayvon Martin on 2/26/2012.” | “Prospective bidders, I am honored and humbled to announce the sale of an American Firearm Icon,” the listing says. “The firearm for sale is the firearm that was used to defend my life and end the brutal attack from Trayvon Martin on 2/26/2012.” |
| Mr. Zimmerman said in the listing that “many have expressed interest in owning and displaying the firearm,” including the Smithsonian Institution. | Mr. Zimmerman said in the listing that “many have expressed interest in owning and displaying the firearm,” including the Smithsonian Institution. |
| But the institution said that was not the case. “The Smithsonian has never expressed interest in collecting George Zimmerman’s firearm. The Smithsonian has no plans to ever collect or display this object in any of its museums,” the institution said Thursday in a statement. | But the institution said that was not the case. “The Smithsonian has never expressed interest in collecting George Zimmerman’s firearm. The Smithsonian has no plans to ever collect or display this object in any of its museums,” the institution said Thursday in a statement. |
| Mr. Zimmerman wrote in the listing that proceeds from the sale would be used to help prevent violence against law enforcement by Black Lives Matter, to counter the anti-firearm rhetoric of Hillary Clinton and to end the career of Angela Corey, who led the prosecution against him. | Mr. Zimmerman wrote in the listing that proceeds from the sale would be used to help prevent violence against law enforcement by Black Lives Matter, to counter the anti-firearm rhetoric of Hillary Clinton and to end the career of Angela Corey, who led the prosecution against him. |
| Speaking at the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network convention last month, Mrs. Clinton said, “The man who killed Trayvon Martin should have never had a gun in the first place.” | Speaking at the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network convention last month, Mrs. Clinton said, “The man who killed Trayvon Martin should have never had a gun in the first place.” |
| Mr. Zimmerman has said he shot Trayvon in self-defense after the teenager attacked him. He was acquitted in 2013 in a state trial, and the Justice Department closed its investigation in February 2015 without filing charges. The shooting was the first in a string of racially tinged cases involving the deaths of young black men that prompted a rethinking of the nation’s criminal justice system. | Mr. Zimmerman has said he shot Trayvon in self-defense after the teenager attacked him. He was acquitted in 2013 in a state trial, and the Justice Department closed its investigation in February 2015 without filing charges. The shooting was the first in a string of racially tinged cases involving the deaths of young black men that prompted a rethinking of the nation’s criminal justice system. |
| Since the shooting, Mr. Zimmerman has turned up repeatedly in the national spotlight. Just months after his acquittal, he was arrested and charged with domestic aggravated assault after he and his girlfriend had an argument at their home. The case was later dropped. | Since the shooting, Mr. Zimmerman has turned up repeatedly in the national spotlight. Just months after his acquittal, he was arrested and charged with domestic aggravated assault after he and his girlfriend had an argument at their home. The case was later dropped. |
| Last year, he was injured during a violent confrontation with another motorist in Central Florida. The man fired a gun into Mr. Zimmerman’s truck, causing him to be injured by flying glass. Mr. Zimmerman suggested that Thursday’s auction was timed to coincide with the one-year anniversary of that confrontation, which happened on May 11, 2015. | Last year, he was injured during a violent confrontation with another motorist in Central Florida. The man fired a gun into Mr. Zimmerman’s truck, causing him to be injured by flying glass. Mr. Zimmerman suggested that Thursday’s auction was timed to coincide with the one-year anniversary of that confrontation, which happened on May 11, 2015. |
| Last August, news outlets reported that a Florida gun store that had been sued for declaring a “Muslim-free zone” had started selling prints of a Confederate flag painted by Mr. Zimmerman. | Last August, news outlets reported that a Florida gun store that had been sued for declaring a “Muslim-free zone” had started selling prints of a Confederate flag painted by Mr. Zimmerman. |
| Asked on Wednesday about the criticism he could expect over the gun auction, Mr. Zimmerman told WOFL, “They’re not going to be bidding on it, so I couldn’t care less about them.” | Asked on Wednesday about the criticism he could expect over the gun auction, Mr. Zimmerman told WOFL, “They’re not going to be bidding on it, so I couldn’t care less about them.” |
| He told the station he had faced death threats. “What I’ve decided to do is not cower,” he said. | He told the station he had faced death threats. “What I’ve decided to do is not cower,” he said. |
| The auction hosting company, gunbroker.com, faced scrutiny in 2012 when shooting targets intended to resemble Trayvon were offered for sale on its website. A spokesman told Reuters at the time that they were removed as soon it came to the company’s attention. | The auction hosting company, gunbroker.com, faced scrutiny in 2012 when shooting targets intended to resemble Trayvon were offered for sale on its website. A spokesman told Reuters at the time that they were removed as soon it came to the company’s attention. |
| Mr. Zimmerman ended his auction listing with the Roman saying “Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum.” It translates to “If you want peace, prepare for war.” | Mr. Zimmerman ended his auction listing with the Roman saying “Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum.” It translates to “If you want peace, prepare for war.” |