Presidential Firearms — American History

Guns Owned by
US Presidents

The firearms owned and carried by American presidents — from George Washington’s flintlocks to modern Secret Service-protected commanders in chief.

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Presidential Firearms

The Guns That Protected and Were Carried By American Presidents

American presidents have had a complex relationship with firearms — some were ardent hunters and sportsmen, others had no personal interest in guns. Their personal firearms are among the most valuable in the world — presidential provenance multiplies any firearm’s value by 10–100x. Here are the most notable presidential firearms and their stories.

PRESIDENT	FIREARM	STORY	VALUE (IF SOLD)
George Washington	Pair of Flintlock Pistols (Ketland)	Saddle pistols carried during Revolutionary War — sold for $1.98M (Christie’s, 2002)	$1.98 million (documented)
Andrew Jackson	Pair of dueling pistols	Jackson fought 103 duels in his lifetime — had numerous documented pistols	$300,000–$1M+
Abraham Lincoln	Colt Model 1851 Navy (gift)	Presented to Lincoln by Colt during White House visit	$264,500 (documented sale)
Theodore Roosevelt	Winchester Model 1876	Carried on his 1884 Badlands ranch — avid hunter, documented 500+ big game kills	$862,500 (documented auction sale)
Theodore Roosevelt	Springfield 1903	Carried on 1909 Africa safari — presented to him by the Smithsonian	$860,000+ (authenticated set)
Dwight Eisenhower	Colt 1911A1	WWII service pistol — Ike carried standard issue during the war	Priceless provenance — $50,000+
Ronald Reagan	Colt SAA	Carried on his California ranch — Reagan was a noted horseman and gun owner	$500,000+ (authenticated)
George H.W. Bush	Browning Shotgun	Avid hunter, often photographed with shotguns at Camp David	Personal property
George W. Bush	Various hunting rifles	Documented hunting in Texas — cleared brush and hunted deer at Crawford ranch	Personal property
Barack Obama	Various (Camp David)	Shot skeet at Camp David, documented in White House release	Personal property

Assassination Weapons

Firearms Used in Presidential Assassination Attempts

Lincoln — Deringer, April 14, 1865John Wilkes Booth used a .44 caliber single-shot Philadelphia Deringer to assassinate President Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre. The specific Deringer is on display at the Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site.

Garfield — British Bulldog Revolver, 1881Charles Guiteau used a .44 caliber Webley British Bulldog revolver to shoot President Garfield. Guiteau specifically chose a revolver with an ivory handle because he believed it would look better in a museum.

McKinley — 0.32 Iver Johnson Revolver, 1901Leon Czolgosz concealed an Iver Johnson .32 revolver under a handkerchief at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo. McKinley died 8 days later.

Historical Firearms Values

Presidential and historically significant firearms command extraordinary premiums at auction. Rock Island Auction Company, Heritage Auctions, and James D. Julia all regularly feature documented presidential provenance firearms. Document all provenanced firearms in GunVault.co immediately.

FAQs

Presidential Firearms FAQs

Who was the most gun-enthusiastic president?

Theodore Roosevelt is typically cited — he was an avid big game hunter, wrote extensively about hunting, founded the Boone and Crockett Club, and personally killed 500+ big game animals. He carried firearms regularly throughout his life.

Did any president carry personal firearms as president?

Theodore Roosevelt famously carried a Colt SAA and was known to be armed. Most modern presidents rely entirely on Secret Service protection and do not carry personal firearms while in office.

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