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Few firearms have earned the mystique that the Thompson submachine gun has enjoyed for nearly a century. The long association that the "Tommy Gun" has had with gangsters, G-men and G.I.s has made it a movie star, a prized collectible, and an American icon. Thompson believed recoil or gas operated weapons were too heavy and complicated for this role and sought a new method of operation. He formed the Auto-Ordnance Company (AOC), found financial backing, and hired engineers to help develop this weapon. Thompson seized upon the concept of the Blish Lock, developed by John Bell Blish (a career U.S....

Few firearms have earned the mystique that the Thompson submachine gun has enjoyed for nearly a century. The long association that the "Tommy Gun" has had with gangsters, G-men and G.I.s has made it a movie star, a prized collectible, and an American icon. The gun’s genesis dates back to World War I when retired General John T. Thompson sought to develop a lightweight, fast-firing rifle that U.S. troops could use as a “trench broom” to break the stalemate of trench warfare. Thompson believed recoil or gas operated weapons were too heavy and complicated for this role and sought a...

Blast from the past a rare early 60's tv commercial for Mattel's Tommy Burst submachine gun detective set. Maybe somebody still have this hidden in their attic. The detective set comes with the Tommy submachine gun, shoulder holster, snub-nose 38 and an ID badge. Go here to see this classic commercial from Mattel.

On Jan. 29, 1945, First Sgt. Leonard Funk, Jr. faced a determined German army officer ready to kill him with a pistol. Armed with a Thompson M1A1 submachine gun, the U.S. Army paratrooper had just led an assault against 15 houses occupied by German troops in Holzheim, Belgium. It was part of an operation by the 82nd Airborne Division to clear German soldiers from the area following the Battle of the Bulge. Leading a makeshift headquarters platoon of clerks, Funk and his unit captured 30 prisoners. He left them with several dozen more prisoners—under guard—and returned to the fight. While...

On February 10th, the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners approved the Sheriff's Department trade of two highly collectible and desirable 1928 Thompson submachine guns for 88 AR-15 type Bushmaster rifles.  The vote was 6-1.  The trade had engendered some lengthy debates at board meetings over the last month. Because of restrictive gun bans passed in 1934, 1968, and 1986, only a limited number of these type of guns are available for sale to collectors.   The peculiar market conditions created by federal law have driven up the price from about $1,000 to the range of $30,000 - $50,000. Some questioned...

A Pennsylvania police chief said housekeeping efforts to clear storage space will not affect a Thompson submachine gun reputedly bought to fight John Dillinger. Sharon Police Chief Mike Menster said the announced project to get rid of some old records to free up storage space will not mean the sale of the .45-caliber Thompson submachine gun, which local legend holds was purchased for the department by a bank to dissuade Depression-era outlaw John Dillinger and his gang from robbing banks in the area, the Sharon Herald reported Thursday. "The legend is that Dillinger was robbing banks in this area in...

Luzerne County Commissioner Chairwoman Maryanne Petrilla said Friday she is "outraged" that former Sheriff Michael Savokinas agreed to sell a county firearm, an antique Thompson submachine gun, for $22,500 in August 2009. "I am just astounded at the audacity to just go out and sell taxpayer property without going through proper county procedures," Petrilla said. "I understand it could be worth up to $40,000. ... It looks like a back-door deal." The Model 1928 weapon, informally known as a Tommy gun, and another Thompson submachine gun were transferred from the county prison to the sheriff's department sometime in the 1980s,...

At 2:23 p.m. on Nov. 1, 1950, news suddenly arrived at the Secret Service office in the East Wing of the White House that across the street, men were trying to shoot their way into Blair House, where Harry Truman was taking a nap. James Rowley, agent in charge of the White House detail, responded with four words, spoken, one imagines, rather forcefully: "WHERE'S MY TOMMY GUN?" You have to admit: He had a point. Fortunately, Rowley didn't have to pull the trigger that day, and the agents at Blair handled their emergency with dispatch and heroism. But Rowley's cry...