2nd Website Rejects George Zimmerman's Gun Auction
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SANFORD (CBSMiami/AP) — The gun which fired the fatal shot that killed Miami teen Trayvon Martin will now have to look for a third auction site to host the sale after the first two decided against it.
The United Gun Group, an online marketplace for the firearm community, announced that after some contemplation, they have removed George Zimmerman's auction listing.
— United Gun Group (@UnitedGunGroup) May 13, 2016
Per a report from TMZ, Zimmerman relisted the firearm on unitedgungroup.com after it was removed from GunBroker.com just moments before the original auction was set to begin.
The bidding was originally set at at $5,000.
When the original listing was removed, there was no further information other than a message on the page that read, "Sorry, but the item you have requested is no longer in the system."
Later in the day, GunBroker.com posted an announcement regarding it's decision to remove the gun.
"Late last night, George Zimmerman created a listing on our web site for the gun from the Trayvon Martin case four years ago. Mr. Zimmerman alerted news organizations that began reporting on the listing first thing this morning," the announcement read.
"Listings on the GunBroker.com web site are user-generated, exactly like social media posts. Mr. Zimmerman never contacted anyone at GunBroker.com prior to or after the listing was created and no one at GunBroker.com has any relationship with Zimmerman. Our site rules state that we reserve the right to reject listings at our sole discretion, and have done so with the Zimmerman listing.
"We want no part in the listing on our web site or in any of the publicity it is receiving."
In an interview with Orlando TV station WOFL, Zimmerman said he had just gotten the pistol back from the U.S. Justice Department, which took it after he was acquitted in Martin's 2012 shooting death.
When asked what he thought of people who would be opposed to auctioning the gun, Zimmerman said: "They're not going to be bidding on it, so I couldn't care less about them."
Hold up, did I just read that Zimmerman is auctioning off the gun he used to kill Trayvon Martin??? Sick world we live in............
— Jamal Crawford (@JCrossover) May 12, 2016
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DISGUSTING:https://t.co/YPs1FjkLQv
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) May 12, 2016
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The original auction listing said that a portion of the proceeds will go toward fighting against violence by the Black Lives Matter movement against law enforcement. 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 the February 2012 shooting death of Martin in a case that 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. In both cases, the girlfriends refused to cooperate and charges were dropped. 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 officially divorced in January.
"The Trayvon Martin Foundation is committed to its mission of ending senseless gun violence in the United States," said Trayvon's father Tracy Martin in a statement. "We are laser focused on furthering that mission. As such, the foundation has no comment on the actions of that person that murdered Trayvon. Please visit us at trayvonmartinfoundation.org to find out more about the work that we are doing and how you can help."
(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)