The Gun That Killed US President William McKinley: .32 Iver
Johnson Revolver On 6th September 1901, Leon Czolgsz, an
anarchist from New York State, shot William McKinley the 25th
President of the United States. Czolgsz (see image two) used a
.32 calibre Iver Johnson ‘Safety Automatic’ revolver. McKinley
(see image three) had been visiting the Pan-American Exposition
in Buffalo, New York. It was a hot afternoon and many men where
wiping their brows and hands before shaking McKinley’s hand.
Czolgsz went unnoticed as he stepped forward with his pistol
concealed beneath a handkerchief. Czolgsz offered the President
his left hand and as Mckinley went to shake it he shot the
President twice with the pistol in his right hand. The President
was hit at point-blank range by two .32 bullets in the abdomen
(see image four). Czolgsz had bought his pistol from Walbridge’s
Hardware Store in Buffalo, allegedly for $4.50, three days
before the assassination. As McKinley had greeted well wishers
Czolgsz took his opportunity, m