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George Zimmerman Planned to Auction Gun Used to Kill Trayvon Martin George Zimmerman Planned to Auction Gun Used to Kill Trayvon Martin
(about 3 hours later)
George Zimmerman took his latest turn in the national spotlight on Thursday. The firearm that George Zimmerman used to shoot Trayvon Martin in 2012 went on sale for $5,000 on Thursday, generating a torrent of denunciations and extending the notoriety of a case that galvanized the nation.
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. For Mr. Zimmerman, the former neighborhood watch volunteer who was acquitted of murder charges in the killing of Mr. Martin, a black 17-year-old, the announcement of the sale was the latest in a string of episodes that attracted national scrutiny. Mr. Zimmerman set off outrage in September by retweeting an image of Mr. Martin'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. Mr. Zimmerman, 32, announced that he intended to auction the handgun he had used in the killing. He said that the firearm had recently been returned to him by the Justice Department and that he hoped to use some of the proceeds to fight violence against law enforcement officers by members of Black Lives Matter; to ensure “the demise” of the career of Angela Corey, the prosecutor who put him on trial; and to counter Hillary Clinton’s “anti-firearm rhetoric.”
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.” Mr. Martin’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, has been on the campaign trail with Mrs. Clinton, the likely Democratic nominee for president.
“This is a piece of American history,” Mr. Zimmerman wrote on the listing.
A listing for the weapon, a Kel-Tec PF-9, appeared on the auction website gunbroker.com but was quickly removed. 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 answered on Thursday.Multiple email and phone messages left with gunbroker.com, based in Georgia, were not answered 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 “coldblooded killer” who should be in prison. On Twitter, the move was described as “sick,” “disgusting” and “beyond tasteless.” The ad reappeared later on unitedgungroup.com, but.
It would not be the first time Mr. Zimmerman found a way to try to monetize Trayvon’s death. Mr. Zimmerman told an Orlando newspaper that the first auction site could not handle the web traffic or the publicity.
A fund-raising site he set up seeking donations shortly after his arrest brought in about $200,000 in less than a month. Mr. Zimmerman and his then-wife, Shellie, spent $36,000 of that in less than three weeks by paying off their credit cards, buying cellphones and paying the contracts in advance. Mr. Zimmerman’s auction plan incited a wave of criticism from politicians, sports figures, Hollywood entertainers and others. Representative Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat from Brooklyn, released a statement calling Mr. Zimmerman a “coldblooded killer” who should be in prison. On Twitter, the move was described as “sick,” “disgusting” and “beyond tasteless.”
The move backfired, because when the court learned Mr. Zimmerman had amassed a secret stash, he wound up with a huge bail fee. It was not the first time Mr. Zimmerman had tried to monetize Mr. Martin’s death.
Mr. Zimmerman then created another legal defense site, with thank you cards sent in exchange for donations. Mr. Zimmerman’s former lawyer, Mark O’Mara, said despite the fund, he is still owed about $1 million. A fund-raising site he set up seeking donations shortly after his arrest brought in about $200,000 in less than a month. Mr. Zimmerman and his wife at the time, Shellie, spent $36,000 of that in less than three weeks, making car payments, paying off credit cards, buying cellphones and paying phone contracts in advance.
The move backfired: When the court learned Mr. Zimmerman had amassed a secret stash, he wound up back in jail with a huge bail to pay.
Mr. Zimmerman then created a legal defense site, with autographed thank-you cards sent in exchange for donations. Mr. Zimmerman’s former lawyer, Mark O’Mara, said that despite the fund, he was still owed about $1 million.
“He knows he owes me some money,” Mr. O’Mara said. “He doesn’t have it, and I’m moving on. If he wins the lottery, I may want my million.”“He knows he owes me some money,” Mr. O’Mara said. “He doesn’t have it, and I’m moving on. If he wins the lottery, I may want my million.”
Mr. Zimmerman, who was an insurance underwriter and college student when Trayvon was killed in 2012, has since sold paintings online. He appeared at a gun show where he signed autographs, but the organizer said Mr. Zimmerman was not paid for the appearance. Mr. Zimmerman, who was an insurance underwriter and a college student in 2012, has since sold paintings online. He signed autographs at a gun show but was not paid for the appearance, the organizer said.
In fact, the booth at the show cost him about $60, the organizer, Mike Piwowarski, said. “He just wanted to meet people,” Mr. Piwowarski said. “He wanted to tell people thank you.”
In 2014, a boxing match with the rapper DMX was scrapped when the promoter had second thoughts.In 2014, a boxing match with the rapper DMX was scrapped when the promoter had second thoughts.
Benjamin Crump, a lawyer for Trayvon’s parents, said the family was appalled by the proposed gun sale. Benjamin Crump, a lawyer for Mr. Martin’s parents, said the family was appalled by the proposed gun sale.
“It’s insulting,” Mr. Crump said. “To everybody else — the public, the media — it’s a hashtag, it’s a cause, it’s a news story. To them, that’s their child.”“It’s insulting,” Mr. Crump said. “To everybody else — the public, the media — it’s a hashtag, it’s a cause, it’s a news story. To them, that’s their child.”
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. Mr. Zimmerman 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.” “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. Mr. Zimmerman could not reached for additional comment.
He said that 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. Four months after his 2013 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.
“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 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.
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 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 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. He told the station that 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. 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.”