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A tribute to John Dillinger
- Thread starter Cross-X
- Start date
Oh yeah... give me an M1A1 or M1928 A1 any day of the week over the newer stuff.![[smile]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/001.gif "Smile [smile]")
RJ
+1
(looks like there's a few 16" semi-autos in there).
If I could ever afford (or get the CLEO sign-off), getting into NFA firearms, a Thompson would be my first purchase (I especially love the look of the original M-1921 moel with cutts compensator, vertical front grip and of course a 50 round drum mag).
A friend of mine got into machine guns a few years ago. One of them is an M1-A1 Thompson (from what I understand, the M1 models shot up in price and popularity due to "Saving Pvt. Ryan").
I've shot it a few times and it's a real adrenalin rush. I was really surprised how low the recoil was, I really expected it to buck pretty good due to the .45 ACP chambering. I imagine the weight must help a lot keeping it under control.
This should be a crime...
Sheriff wants to melt down Dillinger's Tommy gun
December 27, 2002
BY MICHAEL PUENTE AND LUCIO GUERRERO
A Tommy gun stolen by John Dillinger after a brazen 1934 jail escape in Indiana could soon be molten steel.
Newly elected Lake County, Ind., Sheriff Roy Dominguez--no fan of Dillinger because he killed a cop--is thinking about throwing the infamous Colt Thompson submachine gun into a furnace at one of the county's steel mills. History experts say the gun could be worth $1 million.
"I see no sense in glorifying him or that gun...[the Tommy gun] was used in the commission of a felony," Dominguez said. "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," said Dominguez, who takes office next Wednesday.
Dillinger made off with two Tommy guns after he broke out of Lake County Jail on March 3, 1934. One of them belonged to Lake County; the other was on loan from neighboring Porter County.
The guns were thought to be lost until a gun-tracking expert found both of them in FBI storage in Washington, D.C. Porter County got its gun back last year and Lake County a few months later.
Lake County's gun hasn't been on display much; it was only last month that outgoing Lake County Sheriff John Buncich publicly displayed it for the first time.
Tony Stewart, an expert on early American crimes and author of Dillinger, The Hidden Truth , points to the historical significance of the Indiana outlaw.
"Dillinger was a very important factor to the FBI's existence in the '30s. It's true, with Congress breathing down the bureau's neck, the FBI was in trouble. [Director J. Edgar] Hoover needed a big catch to save the bureau," Stewart said.
But Dominguez and other Lake County officials said they see no reason to preserve the gun.
"I don't think [having the gun melted] would destroy history," said Dominguez.
It has not been proved that Lake County's gun was used to kill anyone, but it is believed to have been used by Dillinger and his cohorts in the holdup of three or four banks following their Crown Point jailbreak. History buffs say the gun could fetch as much as $1 million at auction, but Lake County officials said they can't sell the gun.
Lake County sheriff's spokesman Loy Roberson said there is no documentation for the gun ownership and that selling it would violate the federal firearms act.
"You cannot get it titled. It doesn't have paperwork," Roberson said. "You can't sell something if you don't have paper on it. It belongs to the Lake County Sheriff's Department, but we don't have title paper on it."
The other gun stolen with the Lake County weapon is on display at the Porter County sheriff's office. The only catch: It's in the department's training room, which is not open to the public.
http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-731.html
Sheriff wants to melt down Dillinger's Tommy gun
December 27, 2002
BY MICHAEL PUENTE AND LUCIO GUERRERO
A Tommy gun stolen by John Dillinger after a brazen 1934 jail escape in Indiana could soon be molten steel.
Newly elected Lake County, Ind., Sheriff Roy Dominguez--no fan of Dillinger because he killed a cop--is thinking about throwing the infamous Colt Thompson submachine gun into a furnace at one of the county's steel mills. History experts say the gun could be worth $1 million.
"I see no sense in glorifying him or that gun...[the Tommy gun] was used in the commission of a felony," Dominguez said. "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," said Dominguez, who takes office next Wednesday.
Dillinger made off with two Tommy guns after he broke out of Lake County Jail on March 3, 1934. One of them belonged to Lake County; the other was on loan from neighboring Porter County.
The guns were thought to be lost until a gun-tracking expert found both of them in FBI storage in Washington, D.C. Porter County got its gun back last year and Lake County a few months later.
Lake County's gun hasn't been on display much; it was only last month that outgoing Lake County Sheriff John Buncich publicly displayed it for the first time.
Tony Stewart, an expert on early American crimes and author of Dillinger, The Hidden Truth , points to the historical significance of the Indiana outlaw.
"Dillinger was a very important factor to the FBI's existence in the '30s. It's true, with Congress breathing down the bureau's neck, the FBI was in trouble. [Director J. Edgar] Hoover needed a big catch to save the bureau," Stewart said.
But Dominguez and other Lake County officials said they see no reason to preserve the gun.
"I don't think [having the gun melted] would destroy history," said Dominguez.
It has not been proved that Lake County's gun was used to kill anyone, but it is believed to have been used by Dillinger and his cohorts in the holdup of three or four banks following their Crown Point jailbreak. History buffs say the gun could fetch as much as $1 million at auction, but Lake County officials said they can't sell the gun.
Lake County sheriff's spokesman Loy Roberson said there is no documentation for the gun ownership and that selling it would violate the federal firearms act.
"You cannot get it titled. It doesn't have paperwork," Roberson said. "You can't sell something if you don't have paper on it. It belongs to the Lake County Sheriff's Department, but we don't have title paper on it."
The other gun stolen with the Lake County weapon is on display at the Porter County sheriff's office. The only catch: It's in the department's training room, which is not open to the public.
http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-731.html
Our department had two back in the seventies when I first joined. Drum magazines included. I got to shoot it a few times but that was one heavy firearm. Traded them in for peanuts. I think we got two Ruger AC556F's which never functioned very well.
Our PD still has 2 FA Thompsons.
They had S&W 76, Reising and Ruger AC556 that I helped them swap for 8 CAR15s a few years ago.
I keep reminding some of the senior staff about the one-shot value of the Thompsons! All the FA stuff was papered thanks to a buddy of mine who was an FFL and a PO on the department back when the cut-off on FAs happened.
They had S&W 76, Reising and Ruger AC556 that I helped them swap for 8 CAR15s a few years ago.
I keep reminding some of the senior staff about the one-shot value of the Thompsons! All the FA stuff was papered thanks to a buddy of mine who was an FFL and a PO on the department back when the cut-off on FAs happened.
F
Finalygotabeltfed
Thats like saying that destroying dinosaur fossils or destroying a copy of the declaration of independence would not destroy history.
This guy Dominguez is not playing with a full deck and should focus his attention on enforcing the laws of his county, not trying to destroy historical artifacts. That gun may not be able to be sold to anyone, but it sure as hell can be placed in a museum like all other historical artifacts as part of the chronology of this country.
If nothing else, the BATFE or the FBI should take permanent custody of it and preserve it in the FBI museum as part of their history or place it in the Smithsonian.
I'd bet he must be looking for money and the fact that the gun could not be sold must have pissed in his cornflakes so he's now vindictive about it.
Even Saddam's and his son's gun collections were turned over to the Iraqis as part of their national history........What the f***??????????
And of course the guys "principles" are more important than the ~$1M the gun would bring in around $1M at auction, so I guess he wouldn't mind having that amount cut from his budget, would he?
Ken
Ken
Holy Crap, Login!!!
I've always liked the semi-auto Auto Ordinance Thompsons (except for that damn long barrel). Ever think about getting it SBR'd?
This is the pic I had wanted to post, had to dig through my CD-Rs to find it...
IIRC, these all belong to one person!
![[grin]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/041.gif "Grin [grin]")
