“A piece of American history.” That’s what George Zimmerman is calling the 9mm pistol he used to shoot and kill Trayvon Martin. The firearm that killed this unarmed black teenager will be auctioned off as a piece of American history.
Please tell me this is joke. What I don’t get is why people think this is okay. I’ve been questioning the morality of Americans for a while, and this really blows my mind.
Martin was walking home February 26, 2012, while Zimmerman followed him and called the police department telling them that Martin looked suspicious. After being told by the police not to act, Zimmerman shot and killed Martin after he was “attacked.” He was acquitted of all charges–a verdict still makes my stomach turn.
Now, Zimmerman feels as though he should give to the public an opportunity to purchase this weapon used for hateful purposes. Zimmerman claims this 9mm pistol is now a part of American history, and I could not be more disgusted by him, the people participating in the auction, and the website that is allowing it to happen, the United Gun Group.
If your son, daughter, mother, etc. was killed, and not only did the killer get off, but he or she auctions off the weapon that murdered your loved one, would you be okay with that? Would Americans be okay if the gun that assassinated John F. Kennedy was auctioned off? Weapons that were used for violence should be taken into police custody and stay there forever.
It’s evidence, not American history. This guy is making money and fame from murder. Wake up! We are glorifying murder and literally displaying it as a trophy.
He is donating a portion of the money to stop the Black Lives Matter movement from inflicting violence against police, as stated by The New York Times. These peaceful protests weren’t violent, they actually brought a lot of change. It’s funny how holding up a piece of thick paper with #blacklivesmatter can be called violent and punishable by arrest, though shooting and killing an unarmed child is okay.
The top and final bid of $138,900, from bidder John Smith, was discovered to be a fraud. Zimmerman is verifying the bidders. Hopefully, all of the bids are fake. Maybe some people thought it would be funny to bid outrageous amounts of money for the weapon. I don’t care if they did it to stop Zimmerman from actually make money from it. My problem is that it was posted for auction in the first place.
America you are showing me that murder is big game, murderers are hunters and our youth are the targets. People are allowing these horrendous acts to be displayed as trophies. Please, wake up.
Ari’yana Gibson is a 21-year-old English secondary education senior from Slidell, Louisiana. She can be reached at @gibstionary.