What We Know About The Gun Used In The Charlie Kirk Killing

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 18, 2025, 8:45 PM

what we know about the gun used in the charlie kirk killing

The gun authorities say was used to assassinate Charlie Kirk was a Mauser 98, a common bolt-action rifle typically used for hunting. The gun is a popular rifle used to hunt bigger game and has a markedly different design and function than the modern semiautomatic assault rifles that have made headlines in high-profile mass shootings. The hunting rifle, which had a heavier .30-06 caliber, dates back decades as German-made military surplus with millions produced and resold in the United States, experts told USA TODAY. Authorities say the shooter used a rifle with a mounted scope to strike Kirk in the neck. The shooter may have been less than 150 yards from Kirk, according to a USA TODAY analysis of satellite imagery. “It’s an easy shot for someone even with minimal training,” said Scott Sweetow, a firearms expert and a retired senior official in the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The Mauser 98 doesn't require an expert to be accurate at that range, according to Brandon Webb, a former Navy SEALs head sniper instructor and editor at the military lifestyle outlet SOFREP. (Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Losee Center building near where conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during an event at Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. The man accused of killing conservative commentator Charlie Kirk got the gun authorities say he used in the fatal Utah Valley University shooting from his grandfather, according to charging documents filed Tuesday. The suspect also described the messages he allegedly engraved into bullet casings that authorities later recovered from the scene as “mostly a big meme.” Prosecutors held a news conference Tuesday after formally filing charges against Tyler James Robinson, 22, in connection with Kirk’s killing.

Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray, who is leading the prosecution, said they intend to seek the death penalty. According to a probable cause statement filed after Robinson was first arrested early Friday, the gun used in the shooting was a Mauser Model 98, .30-06 caliber bolt-action rifle with a mounted scope. The hunting-style rifle is able to hold five rounds. Whether you agree or disagree with our analysis, these conversations matter for democracy. We don't take money from political groups - even a $5 donation helps us keep it that way. Multiple reputable outlets reported that investigators recovered a bolt-action, Mauser-style rifle chambered in .30-06 believed to have been used in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, with law enforcement identifying the weapon as an...

Reports also note forensic links such as DNA on the trigger and spent cartridge matching the recovered firearm, but some sources stop short of a definitive model identification and emphasize investigatory uncertainty [4] [5]. 1. What reporting converges on the rifle’s identity and why that matters Media organizations converged on the core claim that a bolt-action, high-powered rifle was recovered and believed to be the weapon used in Charlie Kirk’s killing, repeatedly describing the gun as an older Mauser-pattern rifle... The Mauser Model 98 is singled out by multiple accounts as the likely platform, a historically common German military bolt-action that has been widely circulated and sometimes converted to different calibers, which matters because... That convergence strengthens the basic identification while leaving model-level certainty somewhat open.

2. Where the reports differ and why those differences are significant Fox News' Alexis McAdams joins 'Fox & Friends Weekend' to discuss the newest details surrounding the gun as officials continue to investigate Charlie Kirk's assassination. Authorities said the gun used in the killing of Charlie Kirk may be a decades-old, untraceable rifle. Prosecutors and officials identified the gun as a Mauser Model 98 .30-06 caliber bolt-action rifle, a type originally manufactured in Germany for military use during both World Wars. It may predate U.S.

laws enacted in 1968 following President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, which required firearms to carry serial numbers or other identifying marks — making it harder for law enforcement to trace. Authorities said the firearm belonged to the grandfather of Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old Utah man accused of assassinating Kirk. Police allege Robinson may have deliberately chosen the rifle because it was difficult to trace. Robinson himself appeared to echo that reasoning in a message to his roommate just hours after the assassination. Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; editing by Paul Thomasch and Lincoln Feast.

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab Kanishka Singh is a breaking news reporter for Reuters in Washington DC, who primarily covers US politics and national affairs in his current role. His past breaking news coverage has spanned across a range of topics like the Black Lives Matter movement; the US elections; the 2021 Capitol riots and their follow up probes; the Brexit deal; US-China... In the frantic hours after Charlie Kirk’s assassination, investigators discovered a gun in a wooded area near the scene in northern Utah. The federal agents seeking to trace the weapon faced a daunting task. It was a decades-old, German-made rifle built for use by the military in both World Wars, according to multiple law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation.

So old that it may have been brought into the U.S. before laws were enacted in the 1960s requiring guns to be affixed with serial numbers or other marks to enable tracing. There are believed to be millions of such weapons in homes across America. Fortunately for investigators, the alleged shooter was identified through other means — his family — who convinced him to surrender to police. But the alleged use of such a vintage weapon has raised fears among some former federal agents of the potential for other would-be assassins to seek out these powerful, accurate and hard-to-trace firearms. “Short of the security afforded to the president, there’s no way to defend against the threat posed by this,” said Scott Sweetow, a retired official with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

No reports from Utah University indicate that the murder weapon has been recovered by the USA law enforcement as the shooter remains at large even hours after Charlie Kirk was shot dead While the US law enforcement agencies are yet to provide any official statement confirming the the exact make and model of the gun used to kill Charlie Kirk at Utah University, initial reports from... Later it was revealed that a bolt-action rifle was used to kill Kirk. Read more about the weapon and ammunition HERE. A single shot was fired from a distance at 31-year-old Kirk, possibly from a rooftop, which points to the use of a long-range firearm. According to US media reports, the police and other agencies are almost certain that the shooter, who is yet to be identified, fired one shot from the rooftop of the Losee Center building, which...

One report claimed that the shooter wore black clothes and tactical gear while carrying a long gun. However, there was little to no information, on the exact make/model, calibre, or other identifying features of the weapon during the time of compiling this report. Thus, it is impossible to confirm at this moment if it was a sniper rifle or some other long gun was involved in the Turning Point USA founder's murder in broad daylight. Whether you agree or disagree with our analysis, these conversations matter for democracy. We don't take money from political groups - even a $5 donation helps us keep it that way. Authorities say a high‑powered bolt‑action rifle was recovered and is believed to be the weapon used to kill Charlie Kirk; officials and multiple outlets identify it as a Mauser Model 98 in .30‑06 with...

Law enforcement says the rifle was found wrapped in a towel in a wooded area near Utah Valley University and is being forensically analyzed at an FBI lab; prosecutors later said the gun came... 1. What officials publicly identified: a bolt‑action, high‑powered rifle FBI and local law enforcement repeatedly described the recovered weapon as a “high‑powered, bolt‑action rifle” that they believe was used in the shooting of Charlie Kirk; the FBI said the rifle was being examined... Media outlets including Reuters, PBS and DW relayed the FBI characterisation and noted investigators recovered the rifle from a wooded area near the campus where the event took place [1] [5] [7]. 2.

What We Know About The Gun Used In The Charlie Kirk Killing

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