Sheriff to sell 1920s Tommy guns

The guns were made long befor any laws limited there distribution and should have a protected status similar to Cival War Era wepons as relivant antiques used for reinactment purposes. While not all modles were common in the military, all models did see service in the patchwork of state national guard and reserve units leading up to WWII. Special permits over and above normal limits should not be required. Individuals legaly own older factory shotguns with barells below 18", saterday night specials made befor 1963 and 30 round clips made befor the mid 90's becaus all are grandfathered. Right now brand new replica caplock shotgun pistols in at least 2 configurations are available at major sporting goods stores throught the US. The same should be for a 90 year old tommy gun. At $30k a pop they are far too expensive to use in common crimes unless stollen in which case, the special registration is worthless.

Excellent! A politician exercising some fiscal responsibility. We need more like Sheriff McCauley.

Tommy Guns were impossible to control and needed to not be since 30 rounds could spray a room. They were what the era had to offer. If he can get 30K per gun he may end up with 4 or 5 new cars fully equipped depending on what he buys. Smart Sheriff maybe others should follow suit since there are a couple more departmenst that still have one or two of these antiques gathering dust.
State of Ohio used to have a bunch of 30 30 Winchester saddle rifles but I bet they long since have been sold or traded for newer guns.

My car has 170000miles on it and it is running very well. A Honda Accord
Why is the Sheriff worried about a car with 100000 miles on it??

If all police depts. would sell retired duty weapons and crime confiscated weapons to the public instead of destroying them to be politically correct then the tax money needed to operate the dept. would be less. They auction off other seized property but many send guns to the smelter.

A couple of corrections, NFA firearms transferring from LE Agencies do not require a $200 tax, and in addition to the Chief LE signature individuals, corporations and trusts are legal entities that may possess NFA items without the LE permission and only the federal background check and registration.

Police drive thier cars a little harder than you do your Accord and if your Accord breaks down, no one dies because an emergency responder is late.

Great responce and you are correct as to your posting!!!

David Hineline wrote:

If all police depts. would sell retired duty weapons and crime confiscated weapons to the public instead of destroying them to be politically correct then the tax money needed to operate the dept. would be less. They auction off other seized property but many send guns to the smelter.
A couple of corrections, NFA firearms transferring from LE Agencies do not require a $200 tax, and in addition to the Chief LE signature individuals, corporations and trusts are legal entities that may possess NFA items without the LE permission and only the federal background check and registration.

My God, selling assault machine guns to the public? Maybe next, the Sheriff could hire out his deputies as hitmen to bring in revenue. Same results as selling "Tommy" guns to the public, more innocent children die. Do these guns come with free armor peircing bullets too? That would be a good deal. This Country has a serious gun problem, all guns should have been banned decades ago but thanks to the republicants, guns are less regulated than cigarettes. Good job Sheriff, selling murder to our youth. You disgust me!

How is the sheriff going to sell them, private sell, auction etc. Is there any pictures of them??

I'm drooling. I wish I could afford one.

Drool!!!

I've always wanted a Thompson, especially an M1928A1 version or earlier with dual drum mags, and compensator. Gotta check my cash account.

Col_Res wrote:

My God, selling assault machine guns to the public? Maybe next, the Sheriff could hire out his deputies as hitmen to bring in revenue. Same results as selling "Tommy" guns to the public, more innocent children die. Do these guns come with free armor peircing bullets too? That would be a good deal. This Country has a serious gun problem, all guns should have been banned decades ago but thanks to the republicants, guns are less regulated than cigarettes. Good job Sheriff, selling murder to our youth. You disgust me!

Right. So this guy expects someone to spend $30K on a Thompson, register it with ATF and then commit a crime with it? Lacking a bit of common sense I'd say. Since 1934, when registration began, exactly ONE registered machine gun had been used in a crime out of more than ONE MILLION registrations. And that was by a rogue cop that killed a guy in a drug deal.

Col_Res wrote:

My God, selling assault machine guns to the public? Maybe next, the Sheriff could hire out his deputies as hitmen to bring in revenue. Same results as selling "Tommy" guns to the public, more innocent children die. Do these guns come with free armor peircing bullets too? That would be a good deal. This Country has a serious gun problem, all guns should have been banned decades ago but thanks to the republicants, guns are less regulated than cigarettes. Good job Sheriff, selling murder to our youth. You disgust me!

You're totally off base. People buying guns have to go thru Federal, State and local background checks.

As these machine guns will be sold to a dealer, the ATF runs extra checks on the buyer including finger printing. Guns are one of the most regulated industries on earth.

How will innocent children die because of this? Only one registered machine gun has been used in a crime, and that person was a policeman!

In countries with gun bans there are higher levels of gun crime than before the bans! That's a fact.

1) It has to be on the correct federal form to sell it to anyone other than another police dept or museum.

2) Anyone living in a class III friendly state can purchase a full auto firearm. You "do not" have to be a dealer.

3) Actually there were two used in a crime... The cop taking out his informer and a dentist took out his neighbor with a MAC.

"Anyone" can purchase but have to pass strict FBI and local background checks....

Col_Res wrote:

My God, selling assault machine guns to the public? Maybe next, the Sheriff could hire out his deputies as hitmen to bring in revenue. Same results as selling "Tommy" guns to the public, more innocent children die. Do these guns come with free armor peircing bullets too? That would be a good deal. This Country has a serious gun problem, all guns should have been banned decades ago but thanks to the republicants, guns are less regulated than cigarettes. Good job Sheriff, selling murder to our youth. You disgust me!

I am licensed by BATF&E to sell machine guns. Contrary to your assertion, Tommy Guns are not assault weapons. And the only innocent civilians that get killed with legal machine guns is a fiction perpetuated by Hollywood as gangbangers 1) could not afford a legal machine gun; 2) could not quality for the LE sign-off and BATF&E background check; and 3) is not likely willing to wait the 2-4 months it takes for BATF&E to process the paperwork. BTW, it is also a fiction that an assault weapon ban would do any good. I bet you could not even identify the functional differences between a pre-1994 semi-auto assault rifle and a post-1994 sporting rifle. You should make sure your brain is loaded before shooting off your mouth.

Good decision by the Sheriff and excellent article by journalist, thanks for a well written article.

Class III Dealer wrote:

<quoted text>
I am licensed by BATF&E to sell machine guns. Contrary to your assertion, Tommy Guns are not assault weapons. And the only innocent civilians that get killed with legal machine guns is a fiction perpetuated by Hollywood as gangbangers 1) could not afford a legal machine gun; 2) could not quality for the LE sign-off and BATF&E background check; and 3) is not likely willing to wait the 2-4 months it takes for BATF&E to process the paperwork. BTW, it is also a fiction that an assault weapon ban would do any good. I bet you could not even identify the functional differences between a pre-1994 semi-auto assault rifle and a post-1994 sporting rifle. You should make sure your brain is loaded before shooting off your mouth.

Good call, thanks for posting some of the truth. If only the "other side" of the fence would arm themselves with actual facts instead of liberal media hype they would understand some root causes of crime. It's not collectors shelling out $30k+(and currently an over six month wait for a transfer) for an original 21A, AC, or Navy Overstamp. I encourage anyone who posts comments about how reckless it is for the department to sell some assets to replace an aging car fleet to read some books, understand the difficulties and costs associated with owning a class III weapon, and make educated statements that can be backed with facts. It will make your argument more powerful.

Selling unused equipment to buy needed cruisers sounds like a good idea, but these historical weapons should remain a part of Guernsey County history. Why not sell the motorcycles,airboat and other 'dust-collectors' to generate cash for cruisers. Once sold, these highly collectable weapons are gone forever

GuernseyCountyEmployee wrote:

Selling unused equipment to buy needed cruisers sounds like a good idea, but these historical weapons should remain a part of Guernsey County history. Why not sell the motorcycles,airboat and other 'dust-collectors' to generate cash for cruisers. Once sold, these highly collectable weapons are gone forever

Please describe gone forever. I would bet money they will be better cared for in a collection than hanging on the wall. Another question pertaining to your statement of history. According to one of my resources these guns were not originally owned by Guernsey County, but owned by the Cambridge Collier Coal Company and Rigby Mines and donated in the 30's. My only point is that again comments are being made on emotions and not fact. One possible fact is that these guns will bring at least $20k each even in this market. I doubt it is that important to keep them hanging on the wall for history's sake.