Weapons & Guns

12:05 PM PST -- GunBroker.com just released a statement saying they had no part in Zimmerman's listing. The site says it acts like a social media forum for postings ... and was never contacted by or given a heads-up from George. GB says they reserve the right to reject listings and did just that with Zimmerman's auction.

The auction for the gun George Zimmerman used to kill Trayvon Martin has been taken down ... and TMZ has learned it wasn't because Trayvon's family requested it.

Sources close to the Martin family tell TMZ their legal team reached out to GunBroker.Com Thursday asking for general info about the sale. We're told they also asked for the contact info of auction officials. However, our sources say Martin's team never demanded the auction be canceled.

It's still unclear why the auction was yanked, but we've been told it's not because someone purchased it already.

Zimmerman put the gun up for sale with a starting bid of $5k, and the auction was supposed to run all day Thursday -- a mortifying thought for Trayvon's family. Their attorney tells us ... "It is insulting to this family that he would decide that he would sell the gun that he killed their child with. Think about what that means: This is a gun that took a child’s life and now he wants to make money off of it.”

The handgun George Zimmerman used to take Trayvon Martin's life is now going to the highest bidder -- and Zimmerman calls the weapon an "American Firearm Icon."

The Kel-Tec PF-9 9mm is listed on GunBroker.com for what's touted as a single-day auction on Thursday. Opening bid is set at $5,000.

Zimmerman's not shy about the gun's history either. His listing on the site includes this: "I am honored and humbled to announce the sale of an American Firearm Icon. The firearm for sale is the firearm that was used to defend my life and end the brutal attack from Trayvon Martin on 2/26/2012."

Zimmerman was acquitted of murdering unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon.

He claims he will use money from the sale to oppose Hillary Clinton's campaign, and to fight what he calls Black Lives Matter fueled "violence against Law Enforcement officers."

He says the gun is "a piece of American History."

A former college basketball star -- who's currently in the NBA D-league -- has been charged with multiple gun charges for allegedly breaking out loaded weapons outside of a strip club.

The man in the crosshairs is Keith Appling -- who played at Michigan State from '10 to '14.

Officials say ... security outside of the Pantheion strip club in Michigan witnessed Appling pulling a firearm out of the trunk of his car in the parking lot and called cops.

When police arrived, officials say Appling was in the driver's seat -- and they decided to search the car.

Cops say the found a handgun under the seat and a loaded gun in the trunk. According to multiple reports, the gun in the trunk was an AK-47 assault rifle.

Appling was arrested at the scene. He's since been charged with several crimes including felony for carrying a concealed weapon, possession of a loaded firearm in a vehicle and weed possession.

If convicted on all counts, he faces up to 8 years behind bars.

Scott Weiland took a tour bus on the road, and returned it $50,000 worse for wear ... according to the guy who's trying to get the money from the dead rocker's estate.

Daniel Smagacz says he rented the bus to Scott for 20 days in August 2013, but when he got the wheels back the interior walls had been shot up with a BB gun. Also, the electronics were toast.

According to the lawsuit, Scott signed a contract holding himself responsible for the damages, which Smagacz says totaled $50k -- and he wants another $100k in punitive damages.

Smagacz originally sued Scott in 2014, but now he's going after Weiland's estate to get the dough.

It's deja vu all over again for ex-NY Giants wide receiver Preston Parker -- who was arrested for allegedly trying to ditch drugs during a traffic stop this week ... the 2ND time in 3 weeks.

Parker -- who was cut by the Giants in 2015 after dropping a TON of passes -- was pulled over in Boynton Beach, FL on Monday for illegal tint on his black Chevy Malibu. During the stop, cops say he tossed a clear bag of the sticky icky out of his window.

Cops found the bag and tried to take Parker into custody while he reportedly resisted.

But just 3 weeks ago, cops say they had almost the exact same experience with the 29-year-old -- with drama beginning after a stop for tinted windows.

Only that time, cops say Parker tried to ditch COCAINE -- and when they finally pulled him over, they allegedly found a fully loaded gun in his car.

Hope he saved some of that NFL cash for a good lawyer ...

Jamie Foxx has some brand new high caliber ink -- a 9mm handgun -- which he flashed onstage with Reese Witherspoon.

Jamie's Glock handgun tattoo was on display during his appearance at a Stand Up To Cancer event ... but like he's done in the past -- it's a fake. He got it for his new movie "Baby Driver," which comes out next year.

Handguns or tribal head tatts -- like he got for "Horrible Bosses" -- neither's gonna look good at Thanksgiving dinner. Good thing they're temps.

Louisiana rap legend Master P says Tyrann Mathieu is totally wrong about their home city ... saying rap music is not causing the violence in New Orleans ... the people are.

"Pretty Little Liars" star Brandon Jones ended a dispute with his neighbor by allegedly pulling out a gun ... and he's now facing serious prison time.

Law enforcement sources tell us the argument went down on March 24 ... and the 27-year-old actor was arrested for taking out his handgun and pointing it at a male neighbor. It's unclear what they were arguing about.

The D.A.'s Office just slapped Jones with a felony, assault with a firearm. We're told Jones did not actually fire the gun or strike the man with it, but pointed it at him ... which constitutes an assault.

Jones was also charged with 2 misdemeanors ... exhibiting a deadly weapon and exhibiting a concealable firearm in public. That second one happened in October 2015.

Jones' rep tells us, "It is our understanding that the gun in Mr. Jones' possession was fully legal and registered, that he was on his girlfriend's private property, and that he and his girlfriend felt that they were under threat in a dispute with neighbors."

The rep added they're confident Jones will be exonerated. He faces up to 5 and a half years in prison if convicted.

Cardell Hayes is a HERO -- who saved MULTIPLE LIVES by shooting Will Smith before he could get to his gun ... so says the passenger in Cardell's car.

The New Orleans PD says a fully loaded 9mm handgun was recovered from Will Smith's car after he was fatally shot.

NFL running back Pierre Thomas says he'll be forever scarred after watching his close friend, Will Smith, get shot to death in New Orleans ... saying, "These images that I have in my head will never leave me."

Thomas was at the scene when Smith got into it with Cardell Hayes -- and says the whole thing erupted after a "f**king fender bender" ... not a revenge plot as some speculated.

Here's Pierre's post in its entirety:

"The last few days has been a whirlwind and I am still trying to wrap my head around this whole thing. I flew out of New Orleans last night and back to Chicago because I couldn't think straight... I witnessed a close friend, teammate and a man that I thought of as one of my big brothers in the NFL shot to death OVER A F**KING FENDER BENDER!!!!"

"Why!? I just don't get it... these images that I have in my head will never leave me and I understand that and will have to live with it."

"I want to thank each and everyone of you, my family, friends, fans and the entire Who Dat Nation for all of your thoughts and prayers.... But let's send them instead to Will's family- his wife and 3 kids who have to be strong during this difficult time."

"People!! When is this sh*t going to stop?"

"There is so much senseless killing going on in our world, and I'm not saying that I have the answers to fix it."

"But I am willing to do my part to help and find a solution. My heart is heavy and I wish I could turn back the hands of time, but what is done is done."

Another bizarre twist in the Will Smith shooting case -- new video appears to show Smith's car rear-ending the shooter's Hummer and aggressively driving off ... moments before the fatal shooting.

In the video, obtained by Fox 8, you can see Smith's Mercedes hit a red Hummer (which appears to be the one driven by Cardell Hayes) ... but instead of pulling over to exchange info, Smith peels into the opposite lane of traffic and speeds off.

The Hummer then zips off after the Mercedes.

Willie Roaf is sick and tired of the gun violence in New Orleans ... and now, in the wake of Will Smith's shooting death -- he's demanding change.

The NFL Hall of Famer was at the airport in D.C. when he told us the entire New Orleans Saints organization is devastated by Smith's death.

Roaf also said the entire Saints organization is waiting to hear about plans for a memorial -- with Willie saying he's willing to drop everything and hop on a plane the second plans are finalized.

But Roaf -- who played 9 seasons with the Saints -- says the bigger issue is the gun violence in New Orleans.

The suspect in cuffs ... the car window shot out ... and Will Smith's wife screaming in pain -- all captured in dramatic a video taken moments after the ex-NFL star was gunned down this weekend.

The footage, shot by a reporter for NOLA.com, captures the tragic scene as emergency responders tend to Racquel Smith ... who can be heard screaming, "My leg has been shot."

At one point, you can hear a witness describe the shooting ... saying Smith threatened to get HIS gun before Cardell Hayes started shooting.

For the record, Hayes' attorney has said his client only fired in self defense.

Ex 'Bad Girl' Amber Meade just wanted to shake her ass and flash her assault rifle, live on the Internet -- but ended up having cops bust into her bathroom to investigate the incident.

The former "Bad Girls Club" star was on Periscope last weekend, doing what she does -- dancing around in booty shorts, but this time she did it with an AR-15. The video is hysterical ... Amber flaunts her assets for several minutes, until there's a knock on her door.

That's when her fiance yelled the cops were there, and Amber scrambles to hide the massive weapon ... but it was too late. Maui PD explained to Amber they'd received a call about a "girl with a machine gun online."

As for how the officers tracked her down? Amber tells TMZ, her phone's location services were on. Ooops. However, she wasn't arrested since she and her fiance are legal owners.

Ray Lewis may be harder on illegal gun owners than he was on running backs ... demanding that anyone caught with illegal firearms should get a MANDATORY 25 year prison sentence.

The ex-NFL superstar was going off about gun violence in the U.S. -- specifically in Chicago -- when he offered up his solution to stop the shooting.

"I would put barrels on each corner and I would give you 30 days to drop all illegal weapons in these barrels," Lewis said.

"And if you found yourself going outside of that, the moment I found you with 'em that's 25 years MANDATORY."

FYI -- first time offenders caught with an illegal gun in Illinois face up to a 1 year behind bars ... so Ray's plan is much more severe to say the least.