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George Zimmerman, who rose to national notoriety in 2012 after shooting and killing unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin, is nowselling prints of a Confederate flag painting, in part to benefit a Florida gun store owner who is facing a lawsuit after declaring his business Muslim-free.

The prints -- copies of an original work hand-painted by Zimmerman -- are available for about $50 eachat Florida Gun Supply in the city of Inverness. Andy Hallinan, the stores owner, declared his store a Muslim-free zone in a July YouTube video, on the grounds that he did not want to arm and train those who wish to do harm to my fellow patriots.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations subsequently filed a lawsuit against Hallinan, WFLA reports.

Zimmerman had initially set out to paint an American flag, but after hearing about that lawsuit, he decided to scrap the original American Flag painting and repaint it with a Confederate (Battle) Flag, according to an FAQ sectionabout the painting on the Florida Gun Supply site.

The painting is emblazoned with the words The 2nd protects our 1st" -- a reference to both the Bill of Rights and the way Zimmerman changed his painting from an American flag to a Confederate flag.

"You cannot have the 1st amendment without the 2nd,and you cannot have the American Flag if you remove the Battle Flag," the FAQ reads -- evidently a nod toward the idea that the rights represented by the American flag, like free speech, protect the rights of citizens to display the Confederate battle flag.

The FAQ says that proceeds from the prints will be split between Zimmerman and Hallinan to support their legal funds, living expenses and advancing their mission to change the country, and that the men will donate an unspecified percentage to the Boys &Girls Club. Everyone who buys a print will also be entered into a raffle to win the original painting, which the site says could be worth up to $100,000.

An earlier Zimmerman painting of an American flag did indeed sell forabout that muchin 2013.

The FAQ is emphatic about how the Confederate flag is not "a symbol of racism," arguing that you cannot assume everyone who flies a Confederate Flag is racist in the same way that you cannot judge every Muslim to be a terrorist -- a line of reasoning that doesn't quite explain why Hallinan has declared his business a Muslim-free zone.

The site also includes a 10-minute video of Hallinan mostly criticizing the mainstream media, which you can watch below.

Contact the author of this article atHilary.Hanson@huffingtonpost.com.

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'Muslim-Free' Gun Store Now Selling George Zimmerman's ...

Andy Hallinan (left) the owner of Florida Gun Supply, and George Zimmerman, who is selling prints of his painting of a Confederate flag at Hallinan's gun store.

CBS affiliate WKMG

INVERNESS, Fla. -A gun store declared "Muslim-free" in July is selling signed prints of the Confederate flag painted by George Zimmerman, reports CBS affiliate WKMG.

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Neighborhood watch volunteer was found not guilty in Trayvon Martin's death

In a 10-minute long video posted on the store's website, Hallinan discusses the sale with Zimmerman, who said he decided to donate the paintings after hearing about the lawsuit against Hallinan. Zimmerman was acquitted in 2013 after shooting and killing Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager, in a case that sparked protests and a national debate about race relations.

According to the website, the painting was originally an American flag, but Zimmerman decided to repaint it as a Confederate flag when he heard about the lawsuit.

The duo said they will split the proceeds to support their legal funds, living expenses and "advancing their mission to change the country."

Originally posted here:
George Zimmerman, Florida Gun Supply selling Confederate flag ...

After the owner of a Florida gun store came under scrutiny for declaring his shop a "Muslim-free zone," George Zimmerman decided to help the store with a fundraiser selling Confederate flag prints.

Andrew Hallinan, the owner of Florida Gun Supply, announced the fundraiser in a Monday video. He said that both the Confederate flag and George Zimmerman were "mistreated" by the media, though he acknowledged that the Confederate battle flag has been used by racists.

"The history of the Confederate flag is not one about racism, but I fully agree that there have been groups that use the flag for racial profiling and inciting hatred. I fully condemn the use of the Confederate flag for anything other than heritage and Southern pride," Hallinan said.

He added that a "cultural cleansing" has begun in the U.S., and that he feels he needs to protect the Confederate flag.

According to the Florida Gun Supply website, Zimmerman painted a Confederate flag with a caption about the First and Second Amendments in an attempt to help defend Hallinan.

"The caption, the second protects the first is a double entendre, Zimmerman told Florida Gun Supply. "The 2nd flag I painted was the Battle Flag which we need in America in order to protect the first."

The prints will be sold to fundraise for Zimmerman and Hallinan, who has been sued by the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). Anyone who buys one of the prints will be entered into a raffle to win the original painting by Zimmerman, according to the gun shop's website.

Watch the Florida Gun Supply video:

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George Zimmerman Raffles Confederate Flag Painting For ...

By Jessica Eggert2015-08-18 20:36:01 UTC

In a bromance of epic proportions, George Zimmerman, the infamous night watchman who killed Trayvon Martin, has teamed up with Andy Hallinan, the the owner of a Florida gun shop that banned Muslims, in a bid to sell a Zimmerman-produced painting of the Confederate flag.

The unlikely duo became friends after Hallinan declared his shop, Florida Gun Supply, a "Muslim-free zone" and faced wide derision in the media. When the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) announced it would sue Hallinan for discriminating against Muslims, Zimmerman called Hallinan and offered him his support.

And so a plan was hatched: The two would sell $50 prints of a Zimmerman-produced painting of the Confederate flag painted over the American flag no less and be entered into a chance to win the original version, which they estimate to be worth at least $100,000.

"I didn't want to see you give up the fight simply for financial reasons," said Zimmerman in a "mini-documentary" announcing the partnership, adding that it was the anonymous donations by hundreds of Americans that helped fuel his own legal battle after he shot and killed Martin.

CAIR is suing you and they have endless resources, they have tons of money and I just wanted to do my part," he says in the video, which features the two walking along a nature path, talking about their friendship and laughing while Zimmerman smokes a cigar.

Zimmerman says the Confederate flag painting was done in honor of Andy. It includes a caption "The 2nd protects the 1st" which Zimmerman describes as a double entendre: The Confederate battle flag protects the American flag and the Second Amendment, the right to bear arms, protects the first, the right to free speech.

On Twitter, he added that he painted the Confederate flag over the American one "because I believe that anything can stand with the American flag behind it."

"We have to take action, patriots," says Hallinan. "If you want to see our message spread, please visit georgenandy.com and show your support by purchasing one of our prints."

The two said they would split the proceeds to support their various legal funds, living expenses and advancing their mission to change the country. In the documentary, the two also said that a portion of the proceeds would go to the Boys & Girls Club to benefit what Hallinan said is a generation that will be lost if we dont do whats right.

One day after the video was posted, Hallinan told Mashable that they would no longer be donating any money to the organization.

"It seems we won't be able to donate to the Boys & Girls Club," he wrote. "They emailed me all pissed off for associating their name. We were just trying to do a nice thing for them. We'll pick another cause to donate to."

The Boys & Girls Club confirmed that they don't want anything to do with the Florida gun shop owner's fundraiser, telling Mashable in a statement, "Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) and its local affiliates have no knowledge of this plan, were not approached about and did not approve the use of their name, and have issued a cease-and-desist order to the owner."

Hallinan drew national media attention when he announced that his gun shop in Florida would refuse to serve Muslims after a man shot and killed four U.S. Marines and one Navy sailor in July in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations sued Hallinan and asked the court to prohibit Florida Gun Supply from discriminating against people on the basis of religion.

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USA Today Network Lori Grisham, USA TODAY Network 4:40 p.m. EDT August 18, 2015

Reports surfaced Thursday about a "Muslim-free" gun store in Inverness, Florida, that is now selling prints of the Confederate battle flag painted by George Zimmerman. USA TODAY

George Zimmerman painted this Confederate flag image to support a Florida gun shop owner that declared a "Muslim-free zone."(Photo: Florida Gun Supply)

A gun store in Florida sued for declaringa"Muslim-freezone"is now selling prints of a Confederate flagpainted by George Zimmerman.

Zimmerman, who was found not guilty of murder in the shooting death of Trayvon Martinin 2013, painted the Confederate flag when he heard gun store owner AndyHallinan is being sued by a Florida chapter of theCouncil onAmerican-Islamic Relations, according to a statement on Florida Gun Supply's website.

The prints are about $50 each and all are signed by Zimmerman.Everyone who buys one will be entered 50 timesin a free drawing to win the original painting. The Confederate flag is painted over an American flag and on the back of the original painting the outline of the underpainting can be seen, according to the store's website.

Florida Gun Supply posted a "mini-documentary"explaining the reason for selling the prints, saying that the store isfighting back against the "cultural cleansing" of American history.

USA TODAY

Group sues Fla. gun shop that declared 'Muslim Free Zone'

"They're starting with the Confederate flag, but then they're going to remove statues, rename schools, rename streets and try to cleanse the history in America," Hallinan said in the video.

Much of the video blames newsmedia for creating fear and dividing the American public.Hallinan cites Zimmerman's case,who claimed self-defense in 2012after he shot Trayvon, an unarmed African-American teenager, as an example of skewed media coverage.

"(Mass media) intentionally incited hatred and race when the entire issue wasn't about race in the first place," Hallinan said.

In the video, Zimmerman said he contacted Hallinan after the gun store owner gained media attention for publishing a video online that said he would no longer serve Muslim customersfollowing ashootingin Chattanooga,Tenn., that left five service members dead. The gunman, 24-year-oldMohammod Abdulazeez, was Muslim.

Florida Gun Supply in Inverness, Fla., has declared its store is a "Muslim-free zone" in response to the shooting in Chattanooga, Tenn. Video provided by Newsy Newslook

Zimmermanpainted the Confederate flag in Hallinan's honor to help him raise money for legal fees,according to the video. A statement on the store's website said they plan to split the proceeds.

The Confederate flagprint"exposes the twin evils of racism and Islamophobia," CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper told USA TODAY Network.

"I just think its a clear indication of the overlap between traditional racism targeting African Americans in the form of a Confederate flag and Islamophobia," he said.

CAIR identifies itself as the "nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization." In January, the group appealed to the United Arab Emirates to be removed from that nation's list of designated terrorist groups. The group is not on the U.S. list of terrorist groups.

In 2009, however, a federal judge said in a ruling unsealed a year later that CAIR was tied to Hamas, the Islamist group that controls Gaza and which is on the U.S. terror list."The government has produced ample evidence to establish the associations of CAIR" and other groups "with Hamas," U.S. District Court Judge Jorge Solis said in his July 1, 2009, ruling.

Hallinan told USA TODAY Network in an interview that so far the gun shop hasexperienced a "huge outpouring of support" from the public in response to the Zimmerman print.

Hallinan was not sure how many prints had sold, but said the number right now is fewer than 20.

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