Shock, sadness and disappointment. That’s how I felt when I heard the news that the man who killed Trayvon Martin was attempting to sell online the gun he used to take his precious life. The more I thought about the disturbing implications of auctioning off a weapon used to kill an unarmed, African-American teenager, the more I realized what a gaping wound this is for our country. I recalled the deep roots of slave auctions in our country and the lack of value for black and brown lives — and my heart began to ache.
George Zimmerman’s online gun auction: Everything you need to know
People are shocked by the news about the gun auction, but they shouldn’t be. The deplorable lack of value for human life exhibited in this attempt to sell the gun that killed Trayvon is espoused not only by his killer — but also by the dangerous gun lobby that continues to push for the very law — called Stand Your Ground — that allows people like him to shoot first and ask questions later. It is the same armed vigilantism that enabled a man in November 2012 to kill my unarmed teenage son in an argument over loud music at a Florida gas station.
A reminder that George Zimmerman is a cancer to society
Since my son’s murder nearly three years ago, I have been privy to some of the most disgusting realities of racism, power and violence in this country. I have also learned about how our nation’s weak gun laws and spineless politicians contribute to the tragedy that is gun violence in America.
George Zimmerman puts gun that killed Trayvon Martin up for auction
Just like this infamous gun, too many of our elected leaders are also on the auction block — available to the highest bidder regardless of concern for the constituents who elected them. Too often, they are sold to special interests because of the perceived power and influence of groups like the National Rifle Association. They become the mouth pieces for policies they do not understand the implications of — the proponents of laws that promote a culture of shoot first, ask questions later, a culture that upends traditional self-defense law and emboldens individuals to settle conflicts by reaching for their firearms, even when they can safely walk away from danger.
Recently, NRA-backed legislators in Missouri brought up a new Stand Your Ground bill. Earlier this year, NRA-backed legislators in Florida once again attempted to expand their existing Stand Your Ground law — but they failed because the movement of Americans who know that these laws are dangerous showed up at the statehouse, because we called and emailed our legislators, because we talked to our neighbors and got them to take action too. We were able to defeat the NRA because instead of our lawmakers facing the consequences of dangerous laws like Stand Your Ground, our communities and our safety pay the real price. We pay the price in the lives of our children — Jordan, Trayvon and too many others who don’t break into the national headlines.
We must continue to demand better from our politicians. If we do nothing, than we are culpable. The question about who is responsible for this type of ugliness — we all are and it’s on all of us to call out despicable behavior like this as unacceptable to society. For my son, for Trayvon, for all of our children, we must stand together and fight for change.
Lucy Mcbath is the faith and outreach leader for Everytown for Gun Safety. She is the mother of Jordan Davis, a 17-year-old boy who was shot and killed at a Florida gas station in November 2012 during an argument over loud music.
