A George Zimmerman supporter decided to show his support for the man charged with second degree murder in the death of Trayvon Martin by selling gun range targets meant to represent the slain teen.
The Orlando, Florida “businessman,” says he has sold out of the targets, which feature a silhouetted character with a black hoodie and a target drawn on its chest, along with a bag of Skittles candy and an iced tea can in the pockets. Martin was walking home to his father’s girlfriend’s house after purchasing the items, when he encountered Zimmerman on February 26th.
The targets were for sale on the website GunBroker.com. The item, along with a cached page, have since been removed.
The seller, who did not identify themselves by name, told a local Orlando news station he thinks Zimmerman “is innocent and that he shot a thug.” He admitted that his “main motivation” in creating the targets was to “make money off the controversy,” according to WKMG Orlando.
According to the station’s website:
In an email exchange with reporter Mike DeForest, the seller wrote, “My main motivation was to make money off the controversy.”
The seller would not disclose how many paper targets had been made, but said in an email, “The response is overwhelming. I sold out in 2 days.”
Some of those targets were sold to two Florida gun dealers, according to the seller.
Before DeForest identified himself as a reporter, the seller claimed that targets were still available for purchase. After being informed Local 6 was investigating his online business, the seller claimed the targets would no longer be sold.
Some firearm enthusiasts have objected to the targets, with one telling the station, “Even though I fully believe Zimmerman was justified in shooting, Trayvon was still a human being and does not deserve that kind of disrespect in death.”
Zimmerman’s attorney, Mark O’Mara, released a statement condemning the targets, saying: “We feel we must go on record as stating that we unequivocally find this appalling and disgusting in every regard. It is an insult to the Martin family, it inflames the already heated social tension surrounding the George Zimmerman case, and it represents an irresponsible approach to gun ownership. It is this type of hatred that will make it more difficult to try this case.”
According to RawStory.com, the item was labeled “10 Pack Trayvon Martin Targets,” and the description read: “”Everyone knows the story of Zimmerman and Martin. Obviously we support Zimmerman and believe he is innocent and that he shot a thug. Each target is printed on thick, high quality poster paper with a matte finish! The dimensions are 12″x18″ ( The same as Darkotic Zombie Targets) This is a Ten Pack of Targets.”
RawStory reported the seller’s ID on Gunbroker.com was “hillerarmco” from Virginia Beach, Virginia. And according to the site, “a website by the same name is registered to Hiller Armament Company in Virginia Beach, but the associated phone number had been disconnected.”
A Twitter account by the name @hillerarmco appeared to have been deleted Friday, and a website linked to Hiller Armament Company was also down.
Source : http://www.thegrio.com
