Bourbon County Sheriff's Office Considers Selling Old Tommygun

[Zappa]

It's a fascinating piece of American history: the Thompson Submachine gun.

In 1933, the governor issued one to the Bourbon county sheriff's department as a means of added defense against gangsters, moonshiners and the like.

"Bonnie and Clyde, for instance, robbing banks and stores," said Arnold Schofield, historian.

"Those groups had more fire power than you local sheriff did, said Sheriff Bill Martin.

the governor issued tommy guns to kansas counties near the missouri and oklahoma borders, as they were rife with criminals dodging the law.

"I may seem strange today that they only issued one weapon, but the Thompson Submachine gun was a state of the art weapon," said Schofield.

Today, it's a relic that has been locked away from the public eye for years.

This is why Sheriff Martin is researching options to sell it to fund modern needs.

"The money would be used to support the sheriff's department and equipment that's needed."

http://www.fox14tv.com/story/292232...ce-considers-selling-old-tommy-submachine-gun

No mention of it having a tax stamp.

 

[drgrant]

http://www.fox14tv.com/story/292232...ce-considers-selling-old-tommy-submachine-gun

No mention of it having a tax stamp.

Doesn't have to have a stamp, just had to be in the NFRTR before the cutoff. (LE orgs get tax free registration, i firget the form # offhand.) it is probably civilian transferable.

-Mike

 

[tuna]

No mention that the gangsters were so well armed because they robbed police and army guard armories...which led to restricting them for us.

 

[JMC Arms]

Doesn't have to have a stamp, just had to be in the NFRTR before the cutoff. (LE orgs get tax free registration, i firget the form # offhand.) it is probably civilian transferable.

-Mike

Depending on how it is registered it MAY be transferable. If surrendered on a form 10 it is forever NOT transferable. If issued to the department by the U.S. government after WWII then it also would NOT be transferable. It will remain US property. If bought from the manufacturer or a dealer it, hopefully, will be transferable.

 

[Len-2A Training]

I know that the two Thompsons that were US Gov't issued to my PD are transferrable. An officer (who also held an FFL) made sure of that during the amnesty period. All the smgs that the PD owned at the time (6) were registered.

Four were sold off for M4s years ago, I helped expedite that process and the only ones left are the two Thompsons.

 

[Cabinetman]

Too bad we can't have 'em here in good 'ol Konnecticutistan. The Thompson Sub is specifically banned by name, even the semi-auto repros.

Rome

 

[W.E.C]

http://www.sherv.net/cm/emoticons/guns/tommy-submachine-gun.gif

 

[one-eyed Jack]

If 1933 is correct, probably no form anything. Jack.

 

[Zappa]

If 1933 is correct, probably no form anything. Jack.

This is what I was thinking because it was a year before the NFA was enacted.

Framingham PD had two Tommyguns in their weapons locker, which were transferable, and they sold them off in the 80's. One was purchased by a retired Framingham PO who was a member at Riverside, it had the FPD shield logo embedded in the stock. I actually got to fire it once when he brought it to a full-auto shoot in Hanson.

 

[Sprocket]

Is there a way to research such a gun? I remember Nahant had Sgt. York's weapon a while back and all the speculation about what it might be (as above) gets confusing. Is there a list or were papers issued only to the owner for his records? What was the process after 1968 and/or during the amnesty?

 

[JMC Arms]

Is there a way to research such a gun? I remember Nahant had Sgt. York's weapon a while back and all the speculation about what it might be (as above) gets confusing. Is there a list or were papers issued only to the owner for his records? What was the process after 1968 and/or during the amnesty?

The PD can request a check by SN to the ATF. They can research but the problem is the registry is notoriously error prone on very old forms. In some cases MGs were declared not in the registry until the paperwork was found by the owner or heirs.

Unless somone one has amnesty paperwork, original forms or some other way of proving provenance it is very difficult to get an accurate response from the ATF on something this old.

 

[jkelly1229]

Why doesn't the pd keep it I think it'd be pretty cool to keep and shoot for giggles once in a while and if you think they can cash in now wait 2 years to Obama gets his way thing will go up even more

 

[drgrant]

If 1933 is correct, probably no form anything. Jack.

Wouldn't stopped them from registering it as the law(s) changed, etc.

-Mike

 

[drgrant]

The PD can request a check by SN to the ATF. They can research but the problem is the registry is notoriously error prone on very old forms. In some cases MGs were declared not in the registry until the paperwork was found by the owner or heirs.

Unless somone one has amnesty paperwork, original forms or some other way of proving provenance it is very difficult to get an accurate response from the ATF on something this old.

It's very error prone on a shitload of forms, even going back as little as 20 years. I remember this guy who inherited a Maxim DEWAT from someone in his family went to go reactivate it one day and the feds tried to **** with the guy saying it was never registered, blah blah blah. To make a long story short he had to basically sue the federal government to get his stamp. I think he won eventually but god only knows what it cost him.

-Mike

 

[one-eyed Jack]

It's very error prone on a shitload of forms, even going back as little as 20 years. I remember this guy who inherited a Maxim DEWAT from someone in his family went to go reactivate it one day and the feds tried to **** with the guy saying it was never registered, blah blah blah. To make a long story short he had to basically sue the federal government to get his stamp. I think he won eventually but god only knows what it cost him.

-Mike

At my last ATF audit, they showed one suppressor more than I actually had. At the audit before that, they were three NFA items short. And not very old stuff. No big deal, it all got sorted out. Jack.

 

[nstassel]

Nahant has the springfield shot by Alvin york?

 

[just jim]

Plenty of reasons to sell it..

http://www.machinegunpriceguide.com/html/machine_guns.html

 

[Cabinetman]

Nahant has the springfield shot by Alvin york?

Better. They thought that they'd found a gold mine to fix their library roof. Right
http://www.itemlive.com/news/nahant...cle_9cec4b21-1797-588b-99ce-115133dd7e40.html

 

[nstassel]

Cool

 

[Cabinetman]

"Ass through the glass" is how this will go down. It'll be right there for the taking but it'll be out of reach for anyone because the paperwork will be gonzo or never filed. The laws presiding over this type of firearm are archaic and should be modified so that historic pieces like this are not relegated to a wall behind glass or worse, chopped up and made into man-hole covers. That's what the antis would love to see.

Rome

 

[LoginName]

I wonder whatever happened with this one?

Sheriff-elect says he might melt down gun used by John Dillinger

Updated Nov 26, 2012

CROWN POINT, Ind. (AP)

The incoming Lake County sheriff says that when he takes office he might have a machine gun made famous by gangster John Dillinger melted down.

"I see no sense in glorifying him or that gun," said Roy Dominguez, who takes office Wednesday. "I would consider melting it down or find another way to properly dispose of it.

"By giving it notoriety continues the glorification of John Dillinger, which I think is wrong," Dominguez told the Post-Tribune of Merrillville for a story Thursday.

The gun was stolen by Dillinger when he made his famous 1934 escape from the Lake County Jail. It was returned to the county last year after a gun-tracking expert unexpectedly found the Tommy gun in FBI storage in Washington.

Current Sheriff John Buncich gave the fully restored 1921 Tommy gun its first public appearance this month when he showed it to reporters. He said he had no plans to display the gun, instead preferring to store it in the department's vault.

Buncich said he was not trying to glorify Dillinger by showing it to reporters. Buncich said he recognized the historical significance of the gun that was taken by Dillinger, who has a following among some history buffs. Some experts say the gun could be valued about $1 million.

"I don't think (having the gun melted) would destroy history," said Dominguez.

Dillinger was arrested and charged with murder in the shooting of an East Chicago police officer, although he publicly claimed he was innocent. After his escape from the Lake County jail, he was shot to death by FBI agents in July 1934 in front of the Biograph Theatre in Chicago.

Short of having the Tommy gun destroyed, Dominguez said he would be willing to sell the gun and give the money to a college fund for children of police officers within Lake County who have died in the line of duty.

Department spokesman Loy Roberson, though, said the gun cannot be sold since it has no documentation for the gun and selling it would violate federal firearms laws.

"You can't sell something if you don't have paper on it," Roberson said. "It belongs to the Lake County Sheriff's Department, but we don't have title paper on it."

Porter County Sheriff David Reynolds said his department was contemplating having its 1921 Tommy gun, also stolen by Dillinger, displayed in a training room.

http://www.kpcnews.com/article_5e647d3e-a039-511e-902c-629414b650a7.html?mode=jqm

 

[Zappa]

Better. They thought that they'd found a gold mine to fix their library roof. Right
http://www.itemlive.com/news/nahant...cle_9cec4b21-1797-588b-99ce-115133dd7e40.html

I went to see it on the only day it was on public display:

It now resides on permanent display in the Alvin York exhibit of the Museum of Appalachia in Tennessee.

http://www.museumofappalachia.org/

 

[Rim Job]

Best use of a Tommy Gun in cinema