Who plants the gun for Michael Corleone to use in the restaurant?

The story behind the answer

Clemenza plants the gun for Michael Corleone to use in the restaurant. In The Godfather, Peter Clemenza arranges for a concealed pistol to be placed in the bathroom before Michael meets Virgil Sollozzo and Captain McCluskey.

The meeting is designed as a trap: Sollozzo, who arranged the attack on Vito Corleone, wants to negotiate with Michael, while McCluskey provides police protection. Because Michael is searched before entering the restaurant, he cannot carry a weapon himself. Clemenza's plan gives him a chance to appear unarmed.

The pistol is hidden behind the toilet tank. Michael retrieves it, returns to the dining room, and kills both men before escaping. The scene is a turning point because Michael, previously presented as the son least interested in the family business, commits his first major murders and becomes a fugitive.

Some detailed accounts identify one of Clemenza's men as the person who physically places the gun, but Clemenza is the canonical answer because he organizes and oversees the operation.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Aug. 2026

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