NC:Thompsons to be traded; Hundreds Destroyed by FBI

Gun Watch ^ | 8 January, 2013 | Dean Weingarten

[marktwain]

The Chief Deputy of Forsyth County, North Carolina, came up with a smart move to save the taxpayers money: Trade two vintage 1928 Thompson submachine guns with drum magazines for 88 Bushmaster AR-15 type rifles, even up, about a $60,000 dollar value.   The Sheriff's department was smart enough to register the guns in 1968, during the amnesty that was allowed for one month.  Most people did not even know that the amnesty period existed.  Thus, these two Thompsons are legal to be sold to private citizens, and are worth over $30,000 each.  

It is far past time that another amnesty be provided for.  How can anyone argue against it?  It would bring undocumented NFA firearms that have been productively existing in this country for decades, out of the shadows and back into full contributing capacity as legal firearms.  Bills have been put forward toward this end, but have not gained any traction.

The article lets slip another item of government malfeasance that the Sheriff remembered from his training with the FBI and the Thompson.  

He is quite familiar with the Thompson submachine gun, since he had to qualify with it during training for his career in the FBI. He said leaders eventually determined that it was not something that should be used on the streets to enforce the law, so hundreds of the guns were destroyed.

“Because of the stigma attached to the Tommy gun and the organized crime and the bad guys back in the early days, it was determined that these weapons were not applicable to modern day,” Schatzman said.

Consider that.  Hundreds of vintage Thompsons, that were owned by the FBI, destroyed for no reason other than the perverse desire to prevent anyone but the  government from owning them.  As a bureaucrat/scientist for over 30 years with the Department of Defense, I became inured to waste.  Some of it is simply part of having a bureaucracy.    But to have these finely crafted pieces of American history, highly desired by responsible collectors, destroyed as a sacrifice to the gods of political correctness, is a shining example of how bureaucracies can do incredibly stupid things.

Yes, I know there are many examples, but it is good to point to a specific one now and then.


©2013 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
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[metalurgist]

One of the most beautiful weapons ever created,

That is one gun that everyone can identify. No one ever mistakes a Thompson for an AK47.

I have an Auto Ordnance Thompson. It's a semi but it sure is pretty to look at.

If the Hughs amendment ever gets repealed, Auto Ordnance can put them back into production, as they own the patent rights. They would probably cost under two grand.

[zeugma]

“Because of the stigma attached to the Tommy gun and the organized crime and the bad guys back in the early days, it was determined that these weapons were not applicable to modern day,” Schatzman said.

Actually, he's right. There is no legitimate purpose for any "law enforcement" agency to have fully automatic weapons. However, the weapons should have been sold to the public at auction.