Fromme Pulls Trigger: Ford Survives Assassination
Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, a devoted follower of Charles Manson, pointed a Colt M1911 .45-caliber pistol at President Gerald Ford from approximately two feet away in Sacramento, California, on September 5, 1975. Secret Service agent Larry Buendorf grabbed the weapon before she could fire. The gun had four rounds in the magazine but none in the chamber, meaning it could not have fired even if Buendorf had missed. Fromme said she wanted to draw attention to California's redwood forests and Manson's environmental concerns. She was sentenced to life in prison. Just seventeen days later, Sara Jane Moore fired an actual shot at Ford in San Francisco, making Ford the only sitting president to survive two assassination attempts in the same month.
September 5, 1975
51 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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