Online auction halted for gun used to kill Trayvon Martin

[Tab]

Source: Associated Press

MIAMI (AP) — An online auction was halted without explanation Thursday for the pistol that former Florida neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman used to kill unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin.

The weapon was removed from the GunBroker.com website, minutes after the auction was to begin. It was not immediately clear why the website took down the listing. Critics called the planned auction an insensitive move to profit from the slaying.

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 had 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."

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/e8f22f2835834e768c81567b1d7720fd/pistol-used-trayvon-martin-shooting-be-auctioned

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Well, that didn't last long

[HassleCat]

1. I'm a little disappointed.

I was hoping to see what kind of crazies emerged from under their rocks.

[OldRedneck]

2. Not so fast . . . it's back for auction on another site

After GunBroker.com dropped the auction for George Zimmerman's murder weapon, another site picked up the auction.

United Gun Group has the Kel-Tec PF-9 up for auction starting at $5,000.

http://unitedgungroup.com/auction/detail/auction/9/slug/george-zimmerman-s-gun-used-2-26-12

Here are my comments.

1. KelTec firearms are shit. Cheap junk made for people with little or no $$$ but who think they need a gun to be a REAL MAN. KelTEc guns are not reliable or durable -- malfunction after a few dozen rounds; difficult to take down and re-assemble. KelTec makes a "tactical shotgun" that's just barely legal. Here's what happens to anyone fires the KelTec shotgun, because it lacks basic hand guards:


http://thegunwriter.blogs.heraldtribune.com/19139/another-devastating-kel-tec-ksg-injury/

2. No way to ensure the authenticity of this pistol. Is Z'man offering a ballistics report on the gun complete with the ballistics report of the bullets removed from Treyvon? What do you bet in a year or so, Z'man pops up with the same auction.

3. Let's hope some pro-gun-control group buys it and crushes it, complete with video.

[ileus]

5. Yup, the pf9 has a lifespan of 5000 rounds...

While my Shield has 4500 rounds without any issues and is thousands away from wearing out.

I traded my Sub2000 (which I had shot less than 50 times in 5 years) for a CZ75 last year....I was really happy with that facebook deal.

[moriah]

6. In the future, can you softlink to such images, or link the page?

Graphic violence isn't fun for people to see unless they expect it.

[merrily]

7. Jury voted to leave, but you might want to read the comments

On Thu May 12, 2016, 03:27 PM an alert was sent on the following post:

Not so fast . . . it's back for auction on another site
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=1447859

REASON FOR ALERT

This post is disruptive, hurtful, rude, insensitive, over-the-top, or otherwise inappropriate.

ALERTER'S COMMENTS

I am at a loss for words on this one. Way over-the-top gun nuttery and extremely graphic.

You served on a randomly-selected Jury of DU members which reviewed this post. The review was completed at Thu May 12, 2016, 03:35 PM, and the Jury voted 3-4 to LEAVE IT.

Juror #1 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: It's not very pretty, but that's the point. I am not expressing an opinion on RKBA. mahatmakanejeeves
Juror #2 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: I agree the poster should delete the graphic image, but I don't think it's egregious enough to hide the entire post.
Juror #3 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: It is graphic, but the text is not way over the top gun nuttery. The poster is saying Zimmerman is a crook and that particular gun stinks.
Juror #4 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: The poster should really should post a warning about these pictures. Common sense!
Juror #5 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: Only hiding because graphic images are not generally a good idea to post, particularly outside the Gungeon, without a warning of some kind. Would much rather the person link to the photo.
Juror #6 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #7 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: should have graphic warning

[drm604]

3. Nice list of charitable causes.

Assuming that BLM is truly a threat to police, how exactly would this money fight that?

Maybe it would go towards arming neighborhood watch volunteers!

[mwrguy]

4. Gun humpers are fucking sick

[moriah]

8. So did GunBroker get a conscience, or was this prearranged...

... to get a bunch of gun-humpers to buy their other guns?

[christx30]

9. Statement from Gunbroker.com

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.

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.

GunBroker.com prides itself in being a safe and legal way to buy and sell firearms online in full compliance with all Federal, State, and local laws. GunBroker.com proudly supports the Second Amendment rights of the American public.

GunBroker.com will not be fielding press inquiries regarding this matter.

Blaming them for the Zimmerman thing is like blaming Facebook for a stupid Trump post. And they have the decency to want nothing to do with it. Can't say I blame them.

[moriah]

10. That's what I hoped, just tbe whole timing of the yank was strange.

The good thing about them AFAIK is that all sales, even if they're in state, must go through a FFL to have a background check ran before purchase.

[reddread]

11. most of the publicity without any of the blame

sweetness personified

[Rafale]

12. Black Lives Matter does NOT do violence against police officers.

Black lives do matter (amazingly racists cannot bring themselves to say those words). The gun rights of Black Americans also matter. Black Americans should not be deprived of their right to self defense. Harriet Tubman's Underground Railroad would not have been possible without the pistol she carried on every mission. As for Zimmerman, he should be in jail for murdering Travon Martin. Pursuing a child, starting a fight, and shooting a child is not the intent of Florida's Stand Your Ground Law, but of course racism in America remains one of the most powerful forces in the US today vis-a-vis Trump's immigration stance of overt racism and Clinton's "super predator" notion of repressive racism. Racism was a powerful force against Martin in the Zimmerman trial. As for news coverage of the gun sales, it's nothing more than a distraction from the real issue of young black men being murdered by the police every week. It's a shame the old Left-Right paradigm still exists; it struggles to remain, but it's days/daze are numbered. The Haves and Have Nots is the paradigm that best approximates our reality in the US now, those that have Rights and those that have No Rights.

I know; I should just parrot some lines from the HRC campaign and comfort myself that I'm a Liberal, or I could just thing for my self and use some common sense.

The odd thing is if Zimmerman was Muslim and he killed a white man, we would be asking ourselves if he was with the Islamic State and calling him a "lone wolf." I could make a movie about this stuff: 50 Shades of Bigotry.

[Judi Lynn]

13. 2nd website posts auction for gun that killed Trayvon Martin

May 12, 5:44 PM EDT

2nd website posts auction for gun that killed Trayvon Martin

By FREIDA FRISARO
Associated Press

. . .

Hours later, United Gun Group tweeted that it would post Zimmerman's ad. The new link was posted, along with a statement from Zimmerman. However, the site apparently went down a few minutes later. The site calls itself a "social market place for the firearms community."

Critics called the planned auction an insensitive move to profit from the slaying.

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.

Zimmerman's listing 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."

More:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GEORGE_ZIMMERMAN_PISTOL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-05-12-17-44-11

[47of74]

14. Makes me sick

Fuck him.

[rockfordfile]

15. The racist wants the money to give to right wing groups