Thompson submachine gun
The Thompson submachine gun (also known as the "Tommy gun", "Chicago typewriter", or "trench broom") is a blowback-operated, selective-fire submachine gun, invented and developed by United States Army Brigadier General John T. Thompson in 1918. It was designed to break the stalemate of trench warfare of World War I, although early models did not arrive in time for actual combat.
"Tommy gun" redirects here. For other uses, see Tommy Gun (disambiguation) and Tommy Gunn.Thompson Submachine Gun, Caliber .45
United States
1921–present[1]
See Users
- West Virginia coal wars
- Irish War of Independence
- Second Honduran Civil War[2]
- 1924 Estonian coup d'état attempt[3]
- Irish Civil War[4]
- Basmachi Conflict[5][6]
- Banana Wars[7]
- Castellammarese War
- Chaco War[8]
- Revolution of 1934
- Spanish Civil War
- World War II[9]
- Indonesian National Revolution
- Iran crisis of 1946[10]
- Chinese Civil War[11]
- First Indochina War[12]
- Greek Civil War[13]
- Indo-Pakistani War of 1947
- 1948 Arab–Israeli War[14]
- Malayan Emergency[15]
- Korean War[9]
- Cuban Revolution
- Algerian War
- Vietnam War[9]
- Bay of Pigs Invasion
- Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation
- The Troubles[16]
- Araguaia Guerrilla War[17]
- Turkish invasion of Cyprus[18]
- United States invasion of Panama
- Somali Civil War[19]
- Yugoslav Wars[20]
- Iraq War[21]
- Russian invasion of Ukraine[22]
1917–1920
- Auto-Ordnance Company (originally)
- The Birmingham Small Arms Company Limited
- Colt
- Savage Arms
- RPB Industries
1921–1945
Approximately 1.75 million of all variants,[23] including:
- 562,511 M1928A1
- 285,480 M1
- 539,143 M1A1
See Variants section
- 10.52 in (267 mm)[24]
- 12 in (300 mm) (with Cutts compensator)
935 ft/s (285 m/s)
164 yards (150 m)[28]
20 or 30 round box magazine, 50 or 100 round drum magazine[24] (M1 and M1A1 models do not accept drum magazines)
The Thompson saw early use by the United States Marine Corps during the Banana Wars,[29] the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Irish Republican Army, the Republic of China, and the FBI following the Kansas City Massacre.
The weapon was also sold to the general public. Because it was so widely used by criminals, the Thompson became notorious during the Prohibition era as the signature weapon of various organized crime syndicates in the United States in the 1920s. It was a common sight in the media at the time, and was used by both law enforcement officers and criminals.[30]
The Thompson was widely adopted by the U.S. armed forces during World War II, and was also used extensively by other Allied troops during the war. Its main models were designated as the M1928A1, M1 and M1A1 during this time. More than 1.5 million Thompson submachine guns were produced during World War II.[31]
It is the first weapon to be labelled and marketed as a "submachine gun".[32]
The original selective-fire Thompson variants are no longer produced, although numerous semi-automatic civilian versions are still being produced by the manufacturer Auto-Ordnance. These models retain a similar appearance to the original models, but have various modifications in order to comply with US firearm laws.
Collector interest[edit]
Because of their quality and craftsmanship, as well as their gangster-era and WWII connections, Thompsons are sought as collector's items. There were fewer than 40 pre-production prototypes. The Colt Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company in Hartford, Connecticut was contracted by the Auto-Ordnance Corporation to manufacture the initial mass production of 15,000 Thompson Submachine Guns in 1920. An original Colt Model 1921 A or AC, Model 1927 A or AC, Model 1928 Navy A or AC, properly registered in working condition with original components can easily fetch from US$25,000 to $45,000+ depending on condition and accessories. For WWII, approximately 1,700,000 Thompson Submachine Guns were produced by Auto-Ordnance and Savage Arms, with 1,387,134 being the simplified World War II M1 and M1A1 variants (without the Blish lock and oiling system[71]).
A Model 1921A believed to have been owned by Bonnie and Clyde, but without historical documentation to substantiate this provenance, sold at auction on January 21, 2012, in Kansas City for $130,000.[72]
Civilian ownership[edit]
Canada[edit]
All variants and modified versions of Thompson submachine guns (even semiautomatic-only versions) are prohibited by name in Canada, as part of Prohibited Weapons Order No. 13 in 1995. Consequently, they cannot be legally imported or owned except under very limited circumstances. For example, to own one the person must be "grandfathered" and have owned one before the bill was passed against it. The submachine gun is not grandfathered like in the U.S., only the owner. The submachine gun can only be sold to other grandfathered individuals; this keeps prices extremely low as the number of permitted licensed individuals is very small and dwindling with time. Eventually, all prohibited guns will be out of circulation.[90]: Part 1.86 [91]