Gun range targets meant to resemble dead Florida teen Trayvon Martin are offensive enough. But what’s more disturbing is that the Florida entrepreneur’s distributor reportedly sold out his entire stock in two days.
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“The response is overwhelming,” the unidentified seller told Oralando’s WKMG news team via e-mail. The station found the targets, which feature a figure in a hoodie holding a bag of skittles and iced tea, on a popular firearms auction site. WKMG’s were not able to identify of the distributor, but when the seller was emailed and told that the local news team was investigating the online business, he claimed the targets would no longer be sold.
The description of the product says:
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 matte finish! The dimensions are 12”x18” (The same as the Darkotic Zombie Targets) This is a Ten Pack of Targets.
Martin, 17, was shot and killed by neighborhood watch volunteer, George Zimmerman, after a trip to a local convenience store. Martin was unarmed but carried a bag of skittles, a can of iced tea and his wallet.
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For protestors nationwide, the hoodie has become symbolic of the Trayvon Martin tragedy. Mark O’Mara, Zimmerman’s attorney told WKMG that “it’s this type of hatred—that’s what this is, it’s hate-mongering—that’s going to make it more difficult to try this case.”
According to WKMG, the Trayvon Martin targets have sent many gun enthusiast websites abuzz with discussion, however, the majority of individuals are disgusted.
“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,” wrote one member of a firearm owners association.
The seller told the news station that the main motivation was to make money off the controversy, but as of Friday, the online advertisements have been taken down.