Reports: George Zimmerman auctioning off the gun used to shoot, kill Trayvon Martin

LAKE MARY, Fla. -- George Zimmerman is auctioning off the 9mm pistol he used to shoot and kill Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager, in Sanford, Fla., in 2012, it was reported Wednesday.

FOX 35 in Orlando, Fla., first reported Zimmerman is auctioning off the gun and spoke to Zimmerman about the weapon and its sale.

"I recently received it back from the Department of Justice," he told FOX 35. "They took it after my trial, after I was exonerated."

According to FOX 35, Zimmerman said he has had death threats in the past and has had several more after putting this gun up for auction.

"What I've decided to do is not cower," he said. "I'm a free American. I can do what I want with my possessions."

FOX 35 said the auction goes live at 11 a.m. on Thursday. Bids start at $5,000.

The Huffington Post said that in the description in the GunBroker.com online auction site, Zimmerman wrote: "It has recently been returned to me by the Department of Justice. The pistol currently has the case number written on it in silver permanent marker. Many have expressed interest in owning and displaying the firearm including The Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. This is a piece of American History."

The Trayvon Martin Foundation told FOX 35 that it did not want to comment on Zimmerman and that it was focused on "ending senseless gun violence."