The Infamous History of The “Tommy Gun”
A Thompson Tommy Gun for Everyone
Anyone who has watched an old movie or browsed through a book on World War II will quickly recognize the familiar outline of the Thompson submachine gun or, better known as the “Tommy gun”. Museums, news outlets, and iconic movies have shown these guns to be a key staple to the “Roaring Twenties” theme. Long before the AR 15, these guns had an exciting run in the Chicago gang scene before being used to help bring victory in WWII. As you can imagine, we are history buffs, especially when it comes to firearms. We carry everything you need from bulk 9mm ammo to a Glock 43. We even carry the .45 caliber Tommy Gun here at GrabAGun and you can pick one up for yourself as well! If you are interested in learning more about this iconic firearm, keep on reading.
A Brief History
This famous gun was made by John Taliaferro Thompson, a distinguished and retired Brigadier General of the U.S. Army Ordnance Department. When the Thompson Submachine Gun was first developed, it was built to end trench warfare tactics during World War I. Unfortunately, the guns first made an appearance on the day the war ended. By 1919, Thompson directed the newly formed Auto-Ordnance to modify the gun for non-military use–a move that would be lucrative in civilian markets.
As the Thompson Submachine gun gained popularity around America in law enforcement circles, it gained a special type of popularity with Chicago’s gangs. It has had many “unofficial” names over the years such as “The Annihilator”, “The Trench Broom”, “The Chopper”, or “The Chicago Typewriter”. Many media outlets coined these names for the gun specifically because of the enormous amount of firepower this gun could do on the Chicago streets.
The Tommy Gun in Organized Crime
In the early twenties, organized crime and gangsters began to appear in Chicago, the stomping grounds of many gangs and gang wars. If you’ve watched any amount of gangster films, then you’ll know they didn’t start with AR15 rifles or even Glock handguns. The seemingly popular choice for gangsters back then was the Thompson submachine gun. From what we know, the gangster who introduced Tommy guns to the gang scene was Frank McErlane. A Prohibition-era Irish American gangster that led the Saltis-McErlane Gang, allied with the Johnny Torrio-Al Capone gang, McErlane used the guns against rival bootleggers called the Southside O’Donnell Brothers. The Tommy Gun’s reputation preceded it and left a lasting impression.
So why the Thompson submachine gun? Why not one of the other more popular guns for sale at the time? Well, the Tommy Gun was a submachine firearm. The sole reason it was built was to end trench warfare. However, gangsters realized quickly that it could wreak havoc with little effort on their part. That said, the Tommy Gun was actually not hugely popular with most gangs. In fact, only a few hundred–out of the thousands made–were even used by gangs. Still, the spray of bullets from a firearm like this made the gun seem so much bigger than it really was.
Concealing such a large firearm, with an even larger drum magazine, was essentially impossible though. Naturally, it’s much easier to conceal a handgun like a Beretta or even a modern-day Ruger LCP for sale, but we’re not talking about handguns; we’re talking about a submachine gun. How do you effectively conceal such a large weapon? At first, many tried to hide them in violin or cello cases. The iconic image is one that we see in movies, but the public (the cops) caught on quickly and attempts to conceal the Tommy Gun lost traction.
The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre
The fact that the Thompson featured in a few spectacular front-page crimes did nothing to detract from its image as a deadly weapon. The best known of these is no doubt the notorious “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre” of 1929. There’s even a fantastic movie based on the events of this day (and yes, it heavily features the Tommy Gun throughout!) On this day, henchmen of the sinister Al Capone, who was conveniently alibied in Florida, mowed down seven members of the “Bugs” Moran gang in a Chicago garage. This incident resulted in the struggle to control organized crime in the city during Prohibition between Irish North Siders and their Italian rivals.
It was this event that led Auto-Ordnance to halt the manufacture of Tommy guns for public use. That said, gangsters would continue to carry them long after the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. To this day, submachine guns are still illegal in the United States. The gun that Auto-Ordnance replicates these days is a semi-automatic, .45 caliber rifle that you can easily pick up from GrabAGun today!
Despite its notoriety among gangsters, the use of the Thompson submachine gun by criminals is smaller than you might imagine. More often than not, it was actually used by American soldiers and lawmen. The main reason we associate the Thompson with gangsters today has to do with news coverage and Hollywood. During their heyday, bandits loved the notoriety that came with their conquests. They would send press releases to local newspapers to take responsibility for and gain attention for their criminal acts. Naturally, the Depression-weary public ate it up. That news coverage led to several decades worth of some of the best gangster films. Hollywood dramatized the rivalry between the good guys and the bad guys, thus immortalizing the Tommy Gun and its creator, making it one of the most powerful weapons of its time.
The Tommy Gun in the Media
Personally, I knew of Tommy Guns from the movies. Gangster films perpetuated the idea of good guys versus bad guys–and of course, the bad guys always had a big, powerful firearm. Seriously, go back and watch any James Cagney film and you’ll be playing Where’s Waldo, but with Tommy Guns. He wasn’t the only one to wield a Thompson, though. There are plenty of movies that featured this iconic firearm.
- The Untouchables (1987). Probably the most prolific use of the Tommy Gun
- The God Father, Part I (1972). We won’t do a Corleone impression but just know. We’re doing a Corleone impression.
- The Public Enemy (1931). See! James Cagney!
- Little Cesar (1931). The gangster, not the pizza.
- Ma Barker’s Killer Brood (1960)
- Scarface (1932)
- The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre (1967)
The fact of the matter is, Hollywood both romanticized and villanized the Tommy Gun. It was and is a beautiful piece of machinery that has earned its place in history. If you’re looking to add something like this to your own collection, GrabAGun is the only name to rely on. We have incredible deals on the Tommy gun and other guns for sale right now, so don’t wait!
World War II
Regardless of what was shown in the media, the Thompson submachine gun will always be associated with the victories of World War II. Because they missed their window during the first world war, the 40s were the time to shine. With the beginning of World War II, John Thompson was finally able to fulfill his lifelong wish for his Thompson submachine gun to be used to help end a war. The total number of Thompsons bought by the U.S. Army before WWII was less than 400. By the time the war was starting, thousands were being shipped out all over the world to help. Simplified for mass production, this gun was seen as one of the most popular guns among specialized troops and was eagerly sought after. Even today many veterans consider it the best weapon of WWII.
As for General Thompson, he would never see the overwhelming success of his gun as a military weapon. He died in 1940 at the age of 80 years, but he left his mark on the history of military weapons just like he wanted. However, he also left his mark on many people all over the U.S. throughout the 1920s and 30s. With the help of gangsters, lawmen, and the media, this gun is one of the most well-known firearms in the world.
GrabAGun and the Thompson “Tommy Gun”
The Thompson “Tommy Gun” is still a revered firearm. It’s one of the guns we will continue to see thanks to its notoriety in the movies. While you can no longer purchase a submachine gun these days, you can still get a high-quality Tommy Gun replica. A semi-automatic, .45 caliber rifle, this is one that you don’t want to miss out on. To make sure you don’t miss out on any deals, sign up for our email newsletter, The Freedom Team. Follow us on social media for sale updates, the latest blog posts, and so much more. When you are ready to check out, get a Tommy Gun for sale at a price you’ll love, only at GrabAGun.
–Destinee Norman