September 5, 1975 - Lynette Fromme, a member of the Manson Family, was arrested for the attempted assassination of President Gerald Ford. Ford had just delivered a speech at the California State Capitol in Sacramento and was shaking hands with the crowd gathered outside, when Fromme approached and pointed a Colt .45 pistol at him. Secret Service Agent Larry Buendorf immediately stepped between the President and Fromme, yelled “Gun!” and wrestled Fromme to the ground. Fromme later insisted that she only wanted to draw attention to the plight of the California Redwoods, and that she had no intention of shooting the President. Although investigators found four rounds in the magazine there was no bullet in the firing chamber of the pistol. Fromme was convicted under a 1965 law that made attempted presidential assassinations a federal offense. She was sentenced to life in prison. After serving 34 years in custody, she was released from prison on August 14, 2009. Only 17 days after Fromme’s assassination attempt, Sara Jane Moore attempted to assassinate President Ford in San Francisco, firing a shot that missed his head only by inches before being tackled by a bystander.
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