Sanford, FL – An online auction appears to have been halted for the pistol that former Florida neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman used to kill unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin.
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The weapon was removed from the GunBroker.com website Thursday, minutes after the auction was to begin. It was not immediately clear why the website took down the listing.
Zimmerman had told Orlando, Florida, TV station WOFL that the pistol was returned to him by the U.S. Justice Department, which took it after he was acquitted in Martin’s 2012 shooting death.
The auction for the 9 mm Kel-Tec PF-9 pistol was to begin at 11 a.m. EDT Thursday and end 24 hours later. The website operators did not immediately respond to phone and email messages seeking comment.
The auction listing also said a portion of the proceeds would go toward fighting what Zimmerman calls violence by the Black Lives Matter movement against law enforcement officers, combatting anti-gun rhetoric of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and ending the career of state attorney Angela Corey, who led Zimmerman’s prosecution.
The listing ended with a Latin phrase that translates as “if you want peace, prepare for war.”
Zimmerman, now 32, has said he was defending himself when he shot and killed Martin, 17, in a gated community near Orlando. Martin, who lived in Miami with his mother, was visiting his father at the time.
Zimmerman, who identifies as Hispanic, was acquitted in Martin’s February 2012 shooting death. The case sparked protests and a national debate about race relations. The Justice Department later decided not to bring a civil rights case against Zimmerman.
Since then, Zimmerman has been charged with assault based on complaints from two girlfriends. Both women later refused to press charges and Zimmerman wasn’t prosecuted. His estranged wife, Shellie Zimmerman, also accused him of smashing her iPad during an argument days after she filed divorce papers. No charges were filed because of lack of evidence. They were divorced in January.
David S. Weinstein, a former state and federal prosecutor, said it appeared Zimmerman is within his rights to sell the gun through the GunBroker website. Although only licensed firearms dealers are permitted to sell guns across state lines, the auction site says it transfers weapons from sellers to buyers through licensed dealers.
“I can’t think of any legal reason why he can’t sell the gun,” Weinstein said.
Martin’s parents both declined to address Zimmerman’s actions in statements made through representatives.
Martin’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, said through an attorney that she would rather focus on her work with the Trayvon Martin Foundation than respond to “Zimmerman’s actions.”
Daryl Parks, whose firm represented the Martin family during the trial, is now chairman of Fulton’s foundation. He says Fulton is pushing for policies that protect youth and address gun violence.
Fulton also founded the Circle of Mothers conference, a three-day event to help mothers who have “lost children or family members” to gun violence. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton will be the keynote speaker at the event in Fort Lauderdale starting May 20.
In the auction listing, Zimmerman also rationalized selling the gun because of strong interest from collectors including “The Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC.”
Smithsonian spokesman John Gibbons denied any interest.
“The Smithsonian has never expressed an interest in collecting this firearm and has no intention of collecting or displaying this firearm,” Gibbons said.
No matter your opinion on what happened in this case. The idea that there is a auction like this should shock everyone’s conscience. The idea that the auction listed such possible uses as defending against #blacklivesmatter protesters makes me sick. I don’t agree with #blacklivesmatter movement, but to make light of the killing of innocent people (even if it may have been justified in the moment) is obscene and inhuman.
Trayvon Martin was no angel; contrary to news media reports, he was not unarmed. He was using the concrete walkway, as a deadly weapon, when he repeatedly kept slamming Zimmerman’s head into that concrete. If Zimmerman wouldn’t have used that weapon, he would have been dead. Whereas Zimmerman might have used bad judgment in following Martin, it was not illegal to do so. Martin was the aggressor, with his physical attack and repeated violence against Zimmerman, because he didn’t like Zimmerman following him. If Martin was white, and Zimmerman was black, there would not have been one iota of protests, as the ones which occurred. Also, the prosecution of Zimmerman, was a kangeroo court, and farce. Granted, Zimmerman is not a model citizen, and can’t seem to stay out of trouble with the law. However, a mixed race jury acquitted him, and the federal government declined to file charges against him. The reason for that latter, is that they had no case, period.
Zimmerman defended himself against a dangerous predator. To say anything otherwise is like saying jews who killed nazis at the end of the holocaust were criminals
Common guys, we are not discussing the Trayvon Martin’s case if it was justified to kill him or it was murder. I know if you believe it was justified no matter what I write you will cling to your view. The subject matter here is the sale of the weapon which Zimmerman used to kill Trayvon Martin. Is it tasteless to sell? I hope that some off you could shed your prejudice and see it my way?