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George Zimmerman to Auction Gun Used to Kill Trayvon Martin | George Zimmerman to Auction Gun Used to Kill Trayvon Martin |
(about 2 hours later) | |
George Zimmerman took his latest turn in the national spotlight on Thursday. | |
The Florida man who fatally shot Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager, had mostly stayed off the media radar since last September, when he set off outrage by retweeting an image of the 17-year-old’s corpse. | |
Then, Mr. Zimmerman, 32, announced that he intended to auction the handgun that he used in the 2012 killing, a move so galling to Trayvon’s family that they refused to comment. | |
A listing for the weapon, a Kel-Tec PF-9, went up on the auction website gunbroker.com, but was taken down by early afternoon on Thursday. The page displayed a note that said, “Sorry, but the item you have requested is no longer in the system.” | |
Multiple email and phone messages left with gunbroker.com, based in Georgia, were not returned on Thursday. | |
Mr. Zimmerman’s auction plan incited a wave of denunciations from critics, among them politicians, sports figures and Hollywood entertainers. Representative Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat from Brooklyn, released a statement calling Mr. Zimmerman a “cold-blooded killer” who should be in prison. On Twitter, the move was described as “sick,” “disgusting” and “beyond tasteless.” | |
Tracy Martin, Trayvon’s father, released a statement through his lawyer saying the family would not be discussing 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.” |
Mr. Zimmerman, whose killing of Trayvon as a neighborhood watch leader made the young man a symbol of racial profiling and the face of a protest movement, defended the auction plan on Wednesday during an interview with WOFL, a broadcaster in Orlando. | |
“I’m a free American. I can do what I’d like with my possessions,” he said, adding, “I thought it’s time to move past the firearm. 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.” | |
Mr. Zimmerman, who said that he has faced threats, could not reached for comment. | |
He said he had recently recovered the firearm from the Justice Department and that it remained fully operational. In his auction listing, which remained viewable online in cached form, he described the firearm 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 said. “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.” | |
He added that “many have expressed interest in owning and displaying the firearm,” including the Smithsonian Institution. The institution responded to the claim on Thursday saying it “has never expressed interest in collecting George Zimmerman’s firearm.” | |
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. |
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 repeated threats against his life. “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.” |