Tommy Guns in Fox News

[Ramar]

I would like to be the financial adviser on this one, I think I could do better!
Ramar

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/01/08/sheriff-swaps-bonnie-and-clyde-era-tommy-guns-for-new-arms/?intcmp=latestnews

[oldred]

Back in '79 I had the chance to buy a really nice model 21 Thompson for $750 and while I had the money to do so I chickened out at the last minute due to fear of the legalities involved, besides I had no idea of the history of this particular gun and the thought of a long vacation at a federal facility made me pass on it.

[Charlie Two Tracks]

How in the world do you have two of those sitting around and not know it?

[MtGun44]

Back in the gun room, in a crate, under the old radios, etc, etc. Not surprising.

The fantastic news is that they were legalized in that one amnesty period. The local
sheriff's dept has a Thompson, never got legalized to the ATF, so they can keep it for
ever, never transfer. I have a friend that uses it for demos at citizen training academies,
have watched it shot and such but it can never go anywhere. Probably many like it
out there caught in the same red tape prison.

Bill

[JeffinNZ]

So essentially the police department lost a pair of Thompsons for a period of years.

[DCP]

So essentially the police department lost a pair of Thompsons for a period of years.

were discovered collecting dust in the Forsyth County armory,

[abqcaster]

Brilliance!

[beagle]

The police department/sherriff's department in Hazzard, KY auctioned one off several years back. Seems like it went for Twenty something K.

My hometown PD had one when I was a teenager. Hmmmmm! Wonder where that one is.

I guess after WWII, any PD could request a Thompson and receive one from the government so I expect there are more out there.

I kinda wonder what happened to the CD weapons. I know for a fact that my hometown got six M12 riot guns and six M & P .38 Specials. I watched them having the cosmoline removed.

When CD faded away, I wonder what happened to them?????/beagle

[freebullet]

Now they want to sell you a semi auto version for way too much money. We need someone with endlessly deep pockets to fight & expose the closing of the registry & the entire nfa for the unconstitutional mess it really is.

[oldred]

The police department/sherriff's department in Hazzard, KY auctioned one off several years back. Seems like it went for Twenty something K.

My hometown PD had one when I was a teenager. Hmmmmm! Wonder where that one is.

I guess after WWII, any PD could request a Thompson and receive one from the government so I expect there are more out there.

I kinda wonder what happened to the CD weapons. I know for a fact that my hometown got six M12 riot guns and six M & P .38 Specials. I watched them having the cosmoline removed.

When CD faded away, I wonder what happened to them?????/beagle

A few years ago on the road at airport gardens directly across the river from the old airport (the new high school is there now) in Hazzard there was a tiny gunshop no bigger than a small shed that dealt mainly in legal full auto weapons, I forget the name of the place but I think it "Auto Arms" or something like that. A buddy of mine in Hazzard had a class III license and owned several full auto rifles but no Thompson.

The model21 Thompson I mentioned earlier was being sold by a guy with, well let's just say a less than trustworthy reputation, and I was afraid to touch the thing even if I could have legally owned it which I could not. Being younger and somewhat reckless I had struck a deal with the guy to buy it but although I had the money in my pocket and he was trying his best to sell it to me that federal resort and all the fun that can be had there kept going through my mind and common sense prevailed at the last moment so I changed my mind.

[starmac]

The model21 Thompson I mentioned earlier was being sold by a guy with, well let's just say a less than trustworthy reputation,

Sounds like you might have been dealing with a federal agent. lol

[Thin Man]

Civil Defense allotments also went to industries that supported the WWII war effort. We had three Alcoa Aluminum factories in our county that were granted a total of six (6) Winchester model 12 shotguns, all in 16 guage, for use by their guard service who were company employees. These M12's had 20" barrels that were stamped either Cylinder or Riot for the constriction. About 30 years ago that industry gifted all these to our local PD where I worked, and every one looked 95% condition. I was assigned the task of procuring heavy shot 16 gauge ammo for duty use. The agency kept these for about 7 years before trading them and the ammo off to the same vendor who just bought the pair of Thompsons on this thread. I bought one of those 16 gauge M12's from that vendor, still have it, still in 95% condition. All the others went to Winchester collectors and friends of the buyer. Isn't it interesting how different materials travel through the industry to the market and then find a home.

Thin Man

[Harter66]

I don't know that they did so good on the S&Ws but they did pretty good on the Tommys.
The swap got them about 225 ea for the Smiths but 33k ea for the Tommys. That's pretty good intrest on probably gifted Army surplus.

[DLCTEX]

There are a number of illegal Tommy guns floating around Texas. They occasionally get fired deep into someones private property. Word leaks out in dribbles, but locals don't pursue the rumors.