Sun Aug 31 13:10:00 UTC 2025: **Summary:**
The .45-caliber pistol used to murder Emmett Till, a Black teenager whose lynching galvanized the Civil Rights Movement, is now on display at the Two Mississippi Museums. The weapon was privately owned by a family unrelated to the case and acquired by the Foundation for Mississippi History. While Till’s family grapples with the display, acknowledging the need for justice and also the educational importance of the artifact. The exhibit aims to provide a comprehensive account of Till’s murder, occurring 70 years ago. The exhibit is part of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and Mississippi History Museum.
**News Article:**
**Emmett Till Murder Weapon Displayed in Mississippi Museum**
Jackson, MS – The .45-caliber pistol used in the brutal 1955 murder of Emmett Till, a pivotal event in the Civil Rights Movement, is now part of an exhibit at the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson. The weapon, along with a holster marked with the initials of J.W. Milam, one of Till’s confessed killers, aims to provide a fuller picture of the crime that shocked the world.
The exhibit arrives on the 70th anniversary of the murder of 14-year-old Till, who was kidnapped, tortured, and shot after being falsely accused of harassing a white woman in Money, Mississippi. His mother’s decision to hold an open-casket funeral, displaying his mutilated body, ignited outrage and fueled the fight for racial equality.
The gun was in private ownership before being acquired by the Foundation for Mississippi History.
“It wasn’t until earlier this year that I fully understood that he (Emmettl) was shot,” Morris said at a news conference about the artifacts on Thursday. “Most people know about the fact that he was brutally beaten and tortured, but it’s important to know that he was shot as well, and so that gun being on display is going to help us tell that story.”
The weapon’s authenticity has been verified through its serial number. While the original case remains closed without federal charges, Till’s family expresses mixed emotions about the display. They see it as a reminder of the injustice still sought but also recognize its power as an educational tool.
“We also understand the importance of the gun as an artifact for education so that current and future generations are able to reflect and grasp the importance in resisting erasure or the changing of historical facts,” Watts said.
The exhibit places the gun in the context of the entire narrative, from Emmett’s entry into Bryant’s Grocery & Meat Market to his death. Museum officials emphasize their commitment to telling the “unvarnished truth” about the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi, regardless of national debates about teaching difficult history.
First Piper 