The Buckeye Firearms Foundation started a fund to buy George Zimmermann “a new gun and fight attacks on the Second Amendment.”
Zimmerman was charged with the second-degree murder of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. He plead not guilty, arguing self-defense, and a Florida jury acquitted him of all charges.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said that the Department of Justice has an open investigation into the case. Sanford Police Capt. James McAuliffe confirmed Thursday that all evidence related to the February 2012 shooting is on hold, which includes Zimmerman’s gun.
“This move to prevent Mr. Zimmerman from claiming his property is an unacceptable abuse of power,” the Buckeye Firearms Foundation wrote in their post. “And the threats of federal charges on civil rights grounds is little more than blatant pandering for political gain.”
The post says that the organization will be “purchasing a NEW FIREARM for [Zimmerman], including a holster, flashlight, and any other gear he wants.”
“It’s a travesty to keep harassing someone who didn’t do anything wrong in defending his life,” President of the Buckeye Firearms Association Jim Irvine told theGrio.
Irvine said they want to replace Zimmerman’s property because “it can cause some mental trauma to not be able to protect yourself.”
He reports the group has raised over $5,000. “We didn’t set a specific goal,” Irvine said. “We just wanted to get him a gun, a holster, some ammunition, a belt to go with it if he needs.”
The organization’s president said that the money they raised thus far exceeds the amount needed to replace Zimmerman’s gun, so they are “throwing around the idea of donating the money to Zimmerman to go toward legal fees.”
“Our goal is more to help him out, rather than get a specific gun.”
Follow Carrie Healey on Twitter @CarrieHeals.