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Gerald Ford assassination attempt in Sacramento facts for kids

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Gerald Ford assassination attempt in Sacramento
Ford rushed from Sacramento assassination attempt image A6320-23A.jpg
Ford being rushed by U.S. Secret Service from the site of the 1975 attempt on his life in Sacramento, California
Location Capitol Park, south of 1121 L Street, Sacramento, California
Coordinates 38°34′29″N 121°29′21″W / 38.574743°N 121.489252°W / 38.574743; -121.489252
Date September 5, 1975 (1975-09-05)
~10:04 am (PST)
Target Gerald Ford, 38th President of the United States
Attack type
Attempted political assassination via shooting
Weapons Colt M1911 .45 cal. semi-automatic pistol
Deaths None
Non-fatal injuries
None
Assailant Lynette Fromme
Participant One
Defender Larry Buendorf, Secret Service agent
Motive To set an example to those refusing to halt environmental pollution and its effects on Air, Trees, Water, and Animals (ATWA)

On September 5, 1975, Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, a cult member of Charles Manson's Manson Family, attempted to assassinate United States President Gerald Ford in Sacramento, California.

Fromme wanted to make a statement to people who did not want to stop environmental pollution. Although Fromme stood a little more than an arm's length from Ford that Friday morning and pointed a M1911 pistol at him, her gun failed to fire and no one was injured.

After the assassination attempt, Ford continued to walk to the California state house, where he met with Jerry Brown. For her crime, Fromme spent 34 years in prison and was released on August 14, 2009 – two years after Ford's death.

The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan, later received the M1911 pistol used in the assassination attempt as a gift, and the gun was put on display.

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