10 Of History’s Most Infamous Murder Weapons

6 M2 Carbine

Back in 1967, the revolutionary path of Ernesto “Che” Guevara led him to Bolivia when he fought alongside communist insurgence in the country.

He did not know that CIA’s paramilitary operatives and supported by the U.S. Army Special Forces. A battalion of U.S. Army Rangers had already been deployed to hunt him down. Guevara was ultimately captured.

On the order of former Bolivian President René Barrientos, Guevara was executed in the hut where he was held. Army Sergeant Mario Terán volunteered and executed the captive using a self-loading M2 Carbine. Guevara died on October 9, 1967.

5 .32-Caliber Iver Johnson Revolver

The 25th President of the United States and the 3rd American President to be assassinated, William McKinley, was a significant factor in some of the most important U.S. history events, including the Spanish-American War and the Gold Standard Act.

 On September 6, 1901, during the Pan-American Exposition at the Temple of Music, an anarchist Leon Czolgosz shot the President twice in the abdomen.

McKinley died on September 14 of gangrene caused by the wounds. The murder weapon was a .32 caliber Iver Johnson revolver. Czolgosz was apprehended and ultimately sentenced to death in the electric chair.

4 Beretta M 1934 Semi-Automatic Pistol

Mahatma Gandhi, the 20th century’s apostle of non-violence, met a violent end on January 30, 1948. Gandhi was in the garden of Gandhi Smriti (formerly known as Birla House) with his grandnieces, on the way to address a prayer meeting.

A Hindu nationalist named Nathuram Godse suddenly fired three bullets from a pistol to Gandhi’s chest. The murder weapon was a Beretta M 1934 semi-automatic pistol. Godse was sentenced to death by hanging.

3 Smith & Wesson Model 36

On November 27, 1978, in San Francisco City Hall, Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk were assassinated by Dan White using Smith & Wesson Model 36.

White grew angry at Moscone for refusing to reappoint him back to the Board of Supervisors from which he had just resigned, and at Milk for lobbying against the reappointment.

White entered the city hall through a first-floor window to avoid metal detectors. First, he walked into Moscone’s office and shot the mayor four times. Then he stepped into Milk’s office, reloaded the gun, and shot the supervisor five times.

2 Wogdon & Barton

In one of the most famous duels in American history, Aaron Burr fatally shot Alexander Hamilton. Political antagonists to each other, all disputes they had been between them finally came to a brutal end on July 11, 1804.

However, the duel itself would bring new (and perhaps even more difficult) political challenges to Burr.

Hamilton died the following day from a gunshot wound to the lower abdomen. The Wogdon & Barton pistols used in the duel belonged to John Barker Church, Hamilton’s brother-in-law, and Burr and Hamilton’s business partner. Burr survived, but his political career practically ended.

1 6.5 mm Carcano Rifle

Lee Harvey Oswald used the alias “A. Hidell” to make a mail-order purchase of a 6.5×52mm Carcano rifle with a telescopic sight.

It was a secondary weapon he purchased for $29.95. On November 22, 1963, Oswald reportedly fired three shots aimed at President John F. Kennedy.

One bullet struck the backs of Kennedy and Texas Governor John Connally, and another hit the President’s head. Oswald was apprehended about 90 minutes later. On November 24, Oswald himself was assassinated by Jack Ruby.