The Zimmerman / Martin Case

(Reuters) - The Florida man who shot and killed black teenager Trayvon Martin - triggering nationwide civil rights protests - planned to sell the gun he used in an auction on Thursday and to spend some of the proceeds to challenge gun control policies, the auction website said.

The one-day auction was to begin at 11 a.m. EST (1500 GMT), with bids to start at $5,000. But the listing disappeared from the site soon after its scheduled start.

Representatives for the website offering the handgun for sale, Gunbroker.com, did not immediately respond to questions about why the listing came down and whether the gun had been sold.

The shooter, George Zimmerman, had described the gun as "a piece of American history," according to the website.

U.S. Department of Justice recently returned to Zimmerman the Kel Tec 9mm pistol that he had used to kill the unarmed Martin on Feb. 26, 2012.

Daryl Parks, a lawyer for Martin's family, called the potential gun sale offensive in a phone interview but said the family remain focused on their work advocating against gun violence.

"It's a distraction, and it shouldn't be a distraction to what we're doing," said Parks, who also serves as chairman of the Trayvon Martin Foundation.

Zimmerman was acquitted of second-degree murder and manslaughter charges in the incident, which sparked civil rights rallies and brought scrutiny of Florida's controversial "stand your ground" law.

The law allows a potential crime victim who is "in fear of great bodily injury" to use deadly force in public places.

Zimmerman, who was a neighborhood watch volunteer at the time, has maintained that the shooting was in self-defense. Martin's family said the teenager was simply passing through the residential area on his way home from a convenience store.

President Barack Obama said after Zimmerman's acquittal that Martin "could have been me, 35 years ago" and urged Americans to understand the pain African Americans felt over the case.

'SOCIOPATH'

"George Zimmerman" quickly became the top trending term on Twitter in the United States on Thursday, with many users on the social media site expressing shock and revulsion.

"The only people worse than George Zimmerman are the people who bid on that gun," tweeted journalist and columnist Lyz Lenz.

National Review columnist Charles C. W. Cooke said Zimmerman "may have acted legally, but the man is a sociopath."

On the auction website, Zimmerman had said he planned to use part of the proceeds to fight Black Lives Matter, a movement that grew out of the incident, as well as to counter "violence against law enforcement officers."

Proceeds would also go towards fighting Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton's "anti-firearm rhetoric," he said.

"I am honored and humbled to announce the sale of an American firearm icon. The firearm for sale is the firearm that was used to defend my life and end the brutal attack from Trayvon Martin," he said on the site.

The number from the Martin case is written on the pistol in silver permanent marker. The auction listing included a photo of the gun being held up in court by a law enforcement officer during Zimmerman's murder trial.

Zimmerman said in the description that "many have expressed interest in owning and displaying the firearm, including The Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C."

The Smithsonian replied on Twitter that it had never expressed interest in the gun, and had "no plans to ever collect or display it in any museums."

clipped from the article: On the auction website, Zimmerman had said he planned to use part of the proceeds to fight Black Lives Matter, a movement that grew out of the incident, as well as to counter "violence against law enforcement officers."

Proceeds would also go towards fighting Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton's "anti-firearm rhetoric," he said.

4EVER2 wrote:

clipped from the article: On the auction website, Zimmerman had said he planned to use part of the proceeds to fight Black Lives Matter, a movement that grew out of the incident, as well as to counter "violence against law enforcement officers."

Proceeds would also go towards fighting Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton's "anti-firearm rhetoric," he said.

It appears that Zimmerman's making every attempt to garner the attention and stir interest from the 'anti-BLM' and the 'anti-HRC' group; the man isn't stupid---maybe desperate, but he's not stupid!

4EVER2 wrote:

clipped from the article: On the auction website, Zimmerman had said he planned to use part of the proceeds to fight Black Lives Matter, a movement that grew out of the incident, as well as to counter "violence against law enforcement officers."

Proceeds would also go towards fighting Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton's "anti-firearm rhetoric," he said.

It appears that Zimmerman's making every attempt to garner the attention and stir interest from the 'anti-BLM' and the 'anti-HRC' group; the man isn't stupid---maybe desperate, but he's not stupid!

sassy wrote:

4EVER2 wrote:
It appears that Zimmerman's making every attempt to garner the attention and stir interest from the 'anti-BLM' and the 'anti-HRC' group; the man isn't stupid---maybe desperate, but he's not stupid!

Too true, what he is is nasty, and the fact that he is fighting Black Lives Matter, kinda proves he went after that boy and killed him on purpose because he was black, as so many believed at the time.

The Macabre Hobby of Collecting “Murderabilia ...

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/wicked-deeds/201401/the...[url=http://www.bing.com/search?q=people that collect murderabilia&qs=n&form=QBRE&pq=people that collect murderabilia&sc=0-32&sp=-1&sk=&cvid=D2D2CA39BD67480984E5298173BDD3E1#][/url]
Why people collect the grisly artifacts of murder. ... Thank you Dr. Bonn for a though-provoking post on murderabilia. I have had extensive work with examining the ...

Original Quill wrote:

4EVER2 wrote:
It appears that Zimmerman's making every attempt to garner the attention and stir interest from the 'anti-BLM' and the 'anti-HRC' group; the man isn't stupid---maybe desperate, but he's not stupid!

I think that just talk.  He's trying to glorify his position.  Remember, this was the wannabe guy, who started out wanting to be a racist cop.

The boy needs money, simple as that.  That pistol will reap maybe $5,000.  Big deal.

eddie wrote:Well that my point; Good taste should be a consideration.
What sort of person buys a murder weapon and what sort of person would sell it if he was sorry?

Seems to me that Zimmerman shot that man, has no remorse and is a sick fuckwit.

Tommy Monk wrote:

eddie wrote:Well that my point; Good taste should be a consideration.
What sort of person buys a murder weapon and what sort of person would sell it if he was sorry?

Seems to me that Zimmerman shot that man, has no remorse and is a sick fuckwit.

Not a murder weapon... wasn't a murder.


Maybe he just needs the money after having his life fukked for defending himself from attack...?



But I wouldn't be at all surprised if it turns out to be someone else putting up this gun sale just to whip up more trouble...


Seems more kind of 'dog whistle' bullshit to me than a real thing...


I'm sure that zim will still highly likely be in some protection programme somewhere and highly unlikely to be doing anything to draw unnecessary attention to himself... and will therefore not be in a position to stand up and defend himself against his alleged involvement in any gun sale!!!


This stinks!!!

In a phone interview with a local broadcaster on Wednesday, Zimmerman dismissed criticism of the auction.

"They're not going to be bidding on it, so I couldn't care less about them," he told Orlando TV station WOFL.

Zimmerman has had brushes with law enforcement since his acquittal. He was also the target of an attempted murder by Matthew Apperson in a Florida road dispute in May 2015, according to prosecutors.

He told WOFL he had received death threats while in hiding after shooting Martin, and that he had received more threats to his life since the gun sale was announced.

"What I've decided to do is not cower," he said. "I'm a free American. And I can do what I like with my possessions."

Ben_Reilly wrote:

Tommy Monk wrote:


Not a murder weapon... wasn't a murder.


Maybe he just needs the money after having his life fukked for defending himself from attack...?



But I wouldn't be at all surprised if it turns out to be someone else putting up this gun sale just to whip up more trouble...


Seems more kind of 'dog whistle' bullshit to me than a real thing...


I'm sure that zim will still highly likely be in some protection programme somewhere and highly unlikely to be doing anything to draw unnecessary attention to himself... and will therefore not be in a position to stand up and defend himself against his alleged involvement in any gun sale!!!


This stinks!!!

Now Tommy, why would you say this has been made up when you obviously haven't done any work to verify whether it's made up or not?

In a phone interview with a local broadcaster on Wednesday, Zimmerman dismissed criticism of the auction.

"They're not going to be bidding on it, so I couldn't care less about them," he told Orlando TV station WOFL.

Zimmerman has had brushes with law enforcement since his acquittal. He was also the target of an attempted murder by Matthew Apperson in a Florida road dispute in May 2015, according to prosecutors.

He told WOFL he had received death threats while in hiding after shooting Martin, and that he had received more threats to his life since the gun sale was announced.

"What I've decided to do is not cower," he said. "I'm a free American. And I can do what I like with my possessions."

All you had to do was click the link ...

Tommy Monk wrote:

Oh... a phone interview... that may or may not have actually been him... and a click to an Internet page...



OK...

Ben_Reilly wrote:

Tommy Monk wrote:

Oh... a phone interview... that may or may not have actually been him... and a click to an Internet page...



OK...

Yeah, we in the news media routinely interview people without making sure they are who they say they are ...

Tommy Monk wrote:If he was being properly looked after in a protection programme then he wouldn't need the money... most likely wouldn't still have the gun... and also wouldn't be allowed to make such a contact!!!



And the govt controlled news media never lie or make things up either do they...!?



And if it wasn't him... he's hardly in a position to come out and defend himself if being protected properly either!!!

Tommy Monk wrote:Does the news media ever lie or make things up regardless of whether govt controlled or not...!?

** BEST OF THE BEST ** If he was being properly looked after in a protection programme then he wouldn't need the money... most likely wouldn't still have the gun... and also wouldn't be allowed to make such a contact!!!

4EVER2 wrote:

Tommy Monk wrote:Does the news media ever lie or make things up regardless of whether govt controlled or not...!?

**TIN FOIL HAT TIME**

First our Tommy's ranting about "it ain't a murder weapon - cause Zimmerman didn't murder anyone" --- where did anyone call or say that he did or that the gun was '?'

Then he's off on a tangent about the media and how they control what we hear/see/read!
 
Sweet Jesus...drugs are either wearing off on our dear Tommy or he's just taking a new batch and they've gone into SUPER DRIVE!

** BEST OF THE BEST ** If he was being properly looked after in a protection programme then he wouldn't need the money... most likely wouldn't still have the gun... and also wouldn't be allowed to make such a contact!!!

Protection Program - WTF...SERIOUSLY ???  How would the USA protect this cretin from his 'himself' --- he's an IDIOT --- Ooops, never mind

Lord Foul wrote:

4EVER2 wrote:
**TIN FOIL HAT TIME**

First our Tommy's ranting about "it ain't a murder weapon - cause Zimmerman didn't murder anyone" --- where did anyone call or say that he did or that the gun was '?'
Then he's off on a tangent about the media and how they control what we hear/see/read! 
Sweet Jesus...drugs are either wearing off on our dear Tommy or he's just taking a new batch and they've gone into SUPER DRIVE!


Protection Program - WTF...SERIOUSLY ???  How would the USA protect this cretin from his 'himself' --- he's an IDIOT --- Ooops, never mind

It seems once again I have to intervene and remind you to debate the post not the poster...you seem to revel in taking a personalised stance against some posters....
once again you demonstrate by comming on a thread with NO INTENT to debate the subject, but merely have a go at one particular poster....

it is noticeable that Tommy doesnt stalk YOU round the board, insulting and berating.....whatever YOUR opinions of HIS opinions....stick to dealing with THAT....not "him"

eddie wrote:Well to be fair, Quill and sassy both said those posts she made like that were "hilarious" and made them "chuckle" so it's a pity you're taking away some posters' entertainment.

eddie wrote:Thanks I think so too. That's why I type them.

Tommy Monk wrote:Does the news media ever lie or make things up regardless of whether govt controlled or not...!?

Lord Foul wrote:uhm.....true he has retaliated.....i cant blame him even if at the same time i dont particularly approve

perhaps you should look to your own manners first, before pecking the head of others....

and in all cases he wasnt "trolling your posts" ...one can troll a thread...but not posts......
so quit with the "i'm the victim....really sir" bleatings

YOU are the one that puts me in the bizzare situation of "protecting" someone with whom I fundamentally disagree......and I suggest hyena pack is an unwise comparison....considering the "chuckle comments" from some

you should also know that your "opinion" of the poster is IRRELEVANT...utterly and constitutes no input to te debate, merely disrupts things.....

now I will ask you ONCE again...nicely.....back off and debate the substance of the post....NOT the poster....

Tommy Monk wrote:Eddie suggested it was a murder weapon earlier on in thread...


He will be in a protection programme.


Therefore... wouldn't need money... wouldn't want to or be allowed to make such a contact to radio or be trying to sell this weapon... and a weapon that he almost certainly wouldn't still be in possession of anyway!!!



I doubt very much that he would still even be in usa!!!

... his life has become a series of public controversies that seem to imply he wants the nation to remember the very reason he gained infamy in the first place or, perhaps, that he suffers, at best, from a case of impaired judgement. Now that he has the media spotlight, he hasn't let go of it, despite receiving "death threats," as he told WOGZ.

The most blatant example of this came last October when he retweeted a photograph of Trayvon Martin's slain body. The original tweet read "Z-man is a one-man army." Following media outrage, Zimmerman claimed he wasn't aware the tweet included a photograph.

"I did not, and never will knowingly re-tweet a picture of a deceased body," Zimmerman wrote in a statement posted to Twitter, according to CBS News. "I do not want to see or relive the night I was attacked and had to use lethal force to defend my life."

Zimmerman is no stranger to Twitter controversy. He's used it to call President Barack Obama an " ignorant baboon" -- which was widely perceived as a racial slur. Perhaps he remembered Obama's comment after the shooting that "If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon. When I think about this boy, I think about my own kids."

Those tweets -- and all his others -- can't be linked to, because his account was suspended in 2015 after he posted semi-nude photographs of his ex-girlfriend. In the captions, he included her personal email address and telephone number and accused her of having sex with a "dirty Muslim."

Now, his online presence consists of his website. Its homepage displays a photograph of a cigar dangling from the fingers of an arm tattooed with "sic vis pacem para bellum" -- Latin for "If you want peace, prepare for war" -- and a pistol tucked into a holster. On the "about" page is a personal recounting of the Martin shooting.

Racial conflict and firearms appear to be a recurring theme for Zimmerman. Last August, he teamed up with Florida Gun Supply - a gun store that had publicly declared itself a "Muslim-free zone" - to sell prints of a painting by Zimmerman depicting a Confederate battle flag and the inscription, "The 2nd protects our 1st."

He's also been back in the courtroom several times since the Martin trial. Less than a month after his acquittal, Zimmerman was pulled over for speeding, CNN reported. According to dashcam footage, he allegedly had a gun on him and the officer said, "Don't play with your firearm, OK?"

Later in 2013, he was arrested and charged with felony aggravated assault for allegedly pointing a shotgun at his girlfriend. The case was later dropped. Two years later, he was arrested again -- this time for charges of domestic aggravated assault for allegedly throwing a bottle of wine at his girlfriend -- and again the charges were later dropped.

Finally, last May, Zimmerman was shot, receiving minor injuries, during a dispute with a motorist named Matthew Apperson. In 2014, Apperson had called the police in a different dispute, saying Zimmerman had allegedly threatened him by saying, "Do you know who I am?" and "I'll f--ing kill you," according to Vox.

4EVER2 wrote:

Lord Foul wrote:uhm.....true he has retaliated.....i cant blame him even if at the same time i dont particularly approve

perhaps you should look to your own manners first, before pecking the head of others....

and in all cases he wasnt "trolling your posts" ...one can troll a thread...but not posts......
so quit with the "i'm the victim....really sir" bleatings

YOU are the one that puts me in the bizzare situation of "protecting" someone with whom I fundamentally disagree......and I suggest hyena pack is an unwise comparison....considering the "chuckle comments" from some

you should also know that your "opinion" of the poster is IRRELEVANT...utterly and constitutes no input to te debate, merely disrupts things.....

now I will ask you ONCE again...nicely.....back off and debate the substance of the post....NOT the poster....

Well, how about this...swap positions some day any day with the 'do nothing-day positon' Mod and see how the shit just flows & ebbs and over flows and then you'll get a full grasp of the confusion that your trumping around like big foot when the Lame Day Mod not only participates - SHE'S THE #1 perpetual reason that it's allowed and going on!  Shocking I know...but me thinks you are well aware of that. 
BTW --- just because you think I'm whining --- does not a WHINE it make

Tommy Monk wrote:He will be in a protection programme.

Therefore... wouldn't need money... wouldn't want to or be allowed to make such a contact to radio or be trying to sell this weapon... and a weapon that he almost certainly wouldn't still be in possession of anyway!!!

Lord Foul wrote:
TBF Tommy has a point...

its NOT a murder weapon.....since he was (rightly or wrongly) found not guilty of murder....

eddie wrote:Well that my point; Good taste should be a consideration.
What sort of person buys a murder weapon and what sort of person would sell it if he was sorry?

Seems to me that Zimmerman shot that man, has no remorse and is a sick fuckwit.

Original Quill wrote:

Tommy Monk wrote:He will be in a protection programme.

Therefore... wouldn't need money... wouldn't want to or be allowed to make such a contact to radio or be trying to sell this weapon... and a weapon that he almost certainly wouldn't still be in possession of anyway!!!

I'm curious, tommy...why do you expect him to be in a protection program?  Is that what you are saying?

Who would pay to put him in a protection program?  Why?

Ben_Reilly wrote:

Tommy Monk wrote:If he was being properly looked after in a protection programme then he wouldn't need the money... most likely wouldn't still have the gun... and also wouldn't be allowed to make such a contact!!!



And the govt controlled news media never lie or make things up either do they...!?



And if it wasn't him... he's hardly in a position to come out and defend himself if being protected properly either!!!

The government doesn't control the news media, Tommy.

Haven't you ever heard that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence? Where's your evidence that the government (the same government that found Zimmerman not guilty, by the way) controls the media?

WhoseYourWolfie wrote:

Lord Foul wrote:
TBF Tommy has a point...

its NOT a murder weapon.....since he was (rightly or wrongly) found not guilty of murder....

"NOT GUILTY"  doesn't  mean the same thing as 'innocent' in a trial, though, does it...

Zimmerman was found "not guilty" when the jury couldn't come to a unananimous agreement -- the old  ''not gulity beyond any serious doubts" way out..

IF Zimmerman was truly "innocent" of any wrongdoing, then why didn't he ask for a second hearing to declare his innocence.      SAME question coild also be asked of OJ Simpson..

ZIMMERMAN'S  prior and subsequent criminal records speak for themselves.
IF he'd been tried in some other US states,  he might well be in jail now..
IF he lived in some other US states, he might not have a handgun license, either...

Ben_Reilly wrote:Raggs, I wasn't saying the jury was told to render that verdict, merely that in its function as part of the government it acquitted him, so why would the government then order the media to invent damaging lies... You know what? I'm stopping there. This is a Tommy conspiracy theory and it makes me feel stupid to even indulge it.

Raggamuffin wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

I'm curious, tommy...why do you expect him to be in a protection program?  Is that what you are saying?

Who would pay to put him in a protection program?  Why?

He's had death threats, and so have his family. In fact, someone was prosecuted for trying to kill him weren't they? I didn't follow up on that story, but I'm sure you did.

Original Quill wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

He's had death threats, and so have his family. In fact, someone was prosecuted for trying to kill him weren't they? I didn't follow up on that story, but I'm sure you did.

So, his family would pay to have him put in protective custody?  Wouldn't he have to consent?  Suppose he didn't want to go into a protection program?

I still think it would be most expensive.  Usually, only governments can afford it.  But, having been declared not guilty, there is no jurisdiction on the part of any governmental agency.

Raggamuffin wrote:

WhoseYourWolfie wrote:



"NOT GUILTY"  doesn't  mean the same thing as 'innocent' in a trial, though, does it...

Zimmerman was found "not guilty" when the jury couldn't come to a unananimous agreement -- the old  ''not gulity beyond any serious doubts" way out..

IF Zimmerman was truly "innocent" of any wrongdoing, then why didn't he ask for a second hearing to declare his innocence.      SAME question coild also be asked of OJ Simpson..

ZIMMERMAN'S  prior and subsequent criminal records speak for themselves.
IF he'd been tried in some other US states,  he might well be in jail now..
IF he lived in some other US states, he might not have a handgun license, either...

Why would Zimmerman need a second hearing? He was acquitted in a court of law - he didn't need anything else. The jury was unanimous actually - they all found him not guilty.

Raggamuffin wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

So, his family would pay to have him put in protective custody?  Wouldn't he have to consent?  Suppose he didn't want to go into a protection program?

I still think it would be most expensive.  Usually, only governments can afford it.  But, having been declared not guilty, there is no jurisdiction on the part of any governmental agency.

Custody? I don't know about that. Isn't a protection programme different? The point is that you were asking why he would be in a protection programme, and I explained. There was a lot of outrage from people who thought he got away with murder, and a lot of threats. The fact is that he was acquitted and he's entitled to go about his business without being harassed and threatened.