Sanford PD Has Trayvon Killer’s Gun

George Zimmerman mug shot from a 2005 arrest, courtesy Orange County Jail

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George Zimmerman is free to walk the streets of Sanford, Florida. But the gun he used to shoot and kill 17-year-old Trayvon Martin is in police hands, Mother Jones has confirmed.

A spokeswoman for the city of Sanford says that the Sanford Police Department took into evidence the gun that Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain, fired at Martin on February 26. That was the day that Zimmerman had called 911 to report “a real suspicious guy” clad in a hoodie, who turned out to be a kid walking home from a nearby 7-Eleven with a bag of Skittles and a can of iced tea. Zimmerman’s pursuit of Martin led to a physical altercation between the two, wherein Zimmerman shot and killed Martin. Zimmerman’s lawyers claim it was an act of self-defense, despite mounting evidence to the contrary.

One month has passed since Martin’s killing, which has since ignited a national controversy. To mark the sober anniversary, the Brady Center To Prevent Gun Violence, a leading gun control group, blasted out a press release: “GEORGE ZIMMERMAN STILL HAS HIS GUN AND HIS LICENSE TO CARRY AND USE IT.” That’s half-right. Zimmerman no longer possesses the gun he used to kill Martin. But he still has a permit to carry a concealed weapon—and, thanks to Florida’s gun laws, he still has the right to buy a new handgun instantly and travel to 35 other states while packing heat.

Protesters have insisted that Zimmerman lose his gun permit. However, Florida is a “shall-issue” state, which means authorities have no discretion over who gets gun permits so long as the applicant meets the basic legal requirements. Unlike “may-issue” states, such as New York and New Jersey, police in Florida can’t step in and block a gun permit, says Daniel Vice, a senior attorney at the Brady Center. “Even if the neighbors say, ‘No way, don’t give this guy a gun,’ they have to give them a permit,” Vice says.

If Zimmerman is arrested, according to Vice, police can suspend his gun permit. If he is convicted, police can take it away. But at the moment, the authorities can’t touch Zimmerman’s gun permit.

Zimmerman can also immediately obtain a new handgun (or handguns). Because his concealed-carry permit remains valid, under state law, he can bypass Florida’s three-day waiting period to purchase a handgun. And with his Florida state gun permit still valid, he can visit and tote a gun in 35 other states that grant reciprocity for Florida’s NRA-backed concealed-carry law, according to Florida’s Division of Licensing.

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

About that: It’s unfathomably hard in the news business right now, and we came up about $28,000 short during our recent fall fundraising campaign. We simply have to make that up soon to avoid falling further behind than can be made up for, or needing to somehow trim $1 million from our budget, like happened last year.

If you can, please support the reporting you get from Mother Jones—that exists to make a difference, not a profit—with a donation of any amount today. We need more donations than normal to come in from this specific blurb to help close our funding gap before it gets any bigger.

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