Some things are unquestionably iconic pieces of American history — the Emancipation Proclamation, the Liberty Bell, the Edison light bulb, just to name a few.
George Zimmerman, the Florida neighborhood watch coordinator who shot and killed unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012, is now trying to redefine what it means for something to be an important part of the fabric of the nation — he is selling the gun used in the shooting, and advertising it as "your opportunity to own a piece of American history" and "an American firearm icon." Zimmerman was acquitted two years ago, and he says the Department of Justice just gave him back his weapon. The gun is up for auction on GunBroker.com, The Guardian reports, and is described by Zimmerman as "the firearm that was used to defend my life and end the brutal attack from Trayvon Martin."
The Kel-Tec PF-9 9mm has a starting price of $5,000, and the auction will go live at 11 a.m. ET Thursday. In his description of the gun, Zimmerman claims that "many have expressed interest in owning and displaying the firearm including the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C.," and says he turned down offers to purchase the weapon because people wanted "to use the gun in a fashion I did not feel comfortable with." Zimmerman wrote that part of the money he receives will go toward ensuring "the demise of Angela Correy's persecution career and Hillary Clinton's anti-firearm rhetoric," and he later told Fox 35 he's a "free American" and "can do what I want with my possessions." The Trayvon Martin Foundation, created after Martin's death with the goal of ending "senseless gun violence," said it has "no comment on the actions of that person."
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