Virginia Firm Sells Gun Targets Resembling Trayvon Martin

Submitted by Sara Jerving on

Shooting target that resembles 17-year-old shooting victim Trayvon MartinAn online gun retailer has been criticized for promoting an advertisement for shooting targets that resemble 17-year-old shooting victim Trayvon Martin. The target depicted a hooded figure holding skittles and tea with crosshairs on his chest. Martin was reportedly holding skittles and tea when he was shot dead -- in the chest -- by George Zimmerman in Florida in February 2012. The horrific shooting of the unarmed youth led to a national conversation about the NRA-crafted Stand Your Ground/Shoot to Kill law and the role the American Legislative Exchange Council played in spreading the Florida law across the nation.

According to the ad, the sellers stated they, "support Zimmerman and believe he is innocent and that he shot a thug." The ad was reportedly placed by the Hiller Armament Company of Virginia and has since been removed from the site where it was hosted, GunBroker.com.

The unidentified seller told a reporter at Orlando's WKMG, "My main motivation was to make money off the controversy," and that he sold out of the targets in two days.

"It's outrageous that someone would try and exploit such a horrific situation as an unarmed teen being gunned down, and profit off something so vile and disgusting as a gun target silhouette," said Hilary Shelton, director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's Washington bureau.

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Walter Fijus replied on

During the week that the store was being brought to a national level Trayvon's mother applied for the copy write to the phrase, "Justice For Trayvon" and a few other similar slogans. The seller of the target is listed as unidentified but the motivation is the same as his mothers when applying for the copy write. Maybe this was just another family job.

MSWhitmore replied on

I believe Trayvon's family has applied for these copyright protections in order to prevent these phrases being used for monetory gain by "entrapaneurs". The targets are as crass and tastless as anything can be. They are also hurtful to all of us that grieve Trayvon's death. Zimmerman brought unwarrented "Vigillanty Justice" to a nice kid with good parents who did not deserve to die. One does not have to be black to understand the injustice and cruelty that transpired last February. This white grandmother stands with Trayvon's parent and family, 100%.