The handgun George Zimmerman used to kill Trayvon Martin was revealed to be a lightweight, inexpensive 9 mm semiautomatic manufactured in Cocoa, known as the Kel-Tec 9 mm PF-9.
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Gun experts say it is one of the lightest, thinnest 9 mm guns on the market, a gun so small and light you can carry it in your pocket undetected.
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Zimmerman wore it on a holster inside his waistband, according to a police report. That’s where it was when Sanford police arrived on Feb. 26 and found Zimmerman standing near the body of Trayvon, who was face down in the grass.
Zimmerman told police he acted in self-defense. He has since been charged with second-degree murder.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, Zimmerman’s handgun, now locked away as evidence, is one of 140,000 PF-9s in use, said Derek Kellgren, Kel-Tec’s marketing director.
The company sells 15,000 to 20,000 a year, helping make it one of the top five handgun manufacturers in the U.S., he said.
Sean Caranna, executive director of Florida Carry, a nonprofit group that lobbies for the right of gun owners to carry side-arms in the open said:
“It is not a police-duty gun. It is not a target pistol. It is not made for hunting. It is a self-defense firearm.”
The gun’s biggest selling point is its small size. It’s less than an inch wide and when fully loaded weighs just 18 ounces, less than half the weight of a conventional 9 mm.
Nikki Epps, a supervisor who works at Kel-Tec said:
“I like the way it feels. I like the way it shoots. It’s comfortable in my hand,”
It retails for $330 to $390, according to its manufacturer.
John Harvey, owner of Oak Ridge Gun Range in south Orange County, said he sells “a lot of ’em. It’s a small, compact, easy-to-carry 9 mm,” he said. “It’s handy. It’s safe.”
The gun holds eight rounds, one in the chamber and seven in a magazine. Its trigger pull is 5 pounds, the amount of force someone must apply to fire off a round.
Kel-Tec had no information on where Zimmerman bought his gun, although it was reported that he purchased it in 2009 after a pitbull began roaming the neighborhood and cornered his wife.
In searching for evidence, police recovered a single bullet casing that remained inside Trayvon’s body.
Zimmerman told police that he had been following Trayvon on foot, but had lost sight of him and turned back toward his SUV. Trayvon then confronted him, punched him and a struggle ensued, police said Zimmerman told them.
Zimmerman told authorities that during their fight, Trayvon tried to cover Zimmerman’s mouth with his hand and tried to pull the handgun away from him.
It’s not clear what kind of ammunition Zimmerman used, but experts say the most popular for that type of gun is hollow-point bullets. They are designed to expand once they hit a target and do more tissue damage.
(This gun above is similar to the one used by George Zimmerman.)
