George Zimmerman Signs Autographs, Poses With His Fans at Florida Gun Show
George Zimmerman continues to play 'celebrity.' This weekend, the shooter of Trayvon Martin attended a gun show in Orange County Florida, shook hands, posed for photos and signed autographs for fans.
On Saturday, Zimmerman greeted attendees at the New Orlando Gun show, which had to be relocated to a local gun shop after angered community residents heard it was to be held at the Majestic Event Center and Banquet ball.
“They told us they canceled for community pressure,” said Mike Piwowarski, a show organizer. “They were getting phone calls and backlash, and didn’t want that kind of person there.”
But Piwowarski says that the pressure to move the even cost him more than $300,000 in lost gun sales and he's planning a lawsuit against the Majestic to recoup his losses.
Piwowarski has been a supporter of Zimmerman, both during the high-profile trial and in its aftermath. Zimmerman's appearance at the gun show on Saturday is said to be Zimmerman's way of returning the favor.
Less than 20 people are reported to have asked for an autograph or a photograph with Zimmerman, who was at the show for six hours.
Zimmerman is no longer a recluse, and has been seeking publicity in recent months. In December, he began selling his paintings on eBay. Later it was found that his first painting, of an American flag, was copied from a stock image taken from Shutterstock without attribution. Zimmerman later tried to stage a celebrity boxing tournament, with proceeds going to charity. However, civil rights activists were enraged that Zimmerman believed himself to be "a celebrity" and that he would possibly fight a black man (a rumored opponent was rapper DMX).
