Paramilitary Weapons
SUBMACHINE GUNS
Submachine guns (SMGs) are defined as fully-automatic weapons which fire pistol ammunition (usually 9mm). Contrary to what Hollywood would have us believe, SMGs are seldom encountered on the street, however, many militant groups have taken to stockpiling them. It is possible that a survivalist of the “crazed loner” variety may keep a loaded automatic weapon under the bed, but such an occurrence would be highly unlikely (as will soon be made clear). Paranoids, racists, and mass murderers all dream of owning automatic weaponry, but fully automatic firearms are incredibly difficult to obtain. Most freaks and criminals eventually have to settle for easily obtainable semi-automatics (which the sensationalistic press often identify as “high-capacity military weapons,” erroneously implying select-fire capability).
Most people are unaware that, in many states, it is actually possible for a law-abiding citizen to legally acquire an automatic weapon of his very own. This entails applying for a “Class III Federal Firearms License,” which is a tedious process involving fingerprints, photographs, and an extensive background investigation. After the application has been approved, if you intend to obtain a submachine gun, an agent from the BATF will come to your home to ensure that you have a theft-resistant safe as well as a top-quality security system with auto-dialer. After the agent has been satisfied that the submachine gun cannot easily be stolen, you will be permitted to purchase one from an authorized Class III dealer. In addition to the exorbitant cost of the weapon itself, you will be required to pay an additional federal tax of $200, and the ATF will be authorized to make unannounced visits for the purpose of “inspecting” your collection. According to statistics, no legally acquired automatic weapon has ever been used in a crime.
On rare occasions, SMGs have been imported from overseas (usually with shipments of cocaine or heroin), but most SMGs in circulation amongst criminals have either been the result of a semi-automatic weapon being altered to accept full-auto replacement parts, have been assembled from a partially incomplete mail-order “kit,” or have been manufactured from scratch in a garage machine shop using widely available templates. It is difficult, expensive, and risky to attempt to convert a semi-automatic firearm to “full-auto” or “select-fire” capability, and many firearms have been irreparably damaged in the process. Typically, this is the method used by an otherwise law-abiding collector whose only criminal intent is to keep the contraband weapon locked in his safe.
Sten gun kits have been widely available for some time, and only recently have advertisements for them disappeared. Typically, the weapon is complete except for the prohibited receiver, for which a section of steel tubing has been provided along with templates and detailed instructions for cutting and drilling. After the receiver has been fabricated, the arduous process of fitting together a handful of tiny spring-loaded parts begins. . . most cretins lack both the patience and skill for such precise work, and their attempts would be doomed to failure. Individual sections of the sheet metal frame and receiver for the MAC style SMGs also have been available from mail-order sources, along with dozens of “replacement parts” to facilitate assembly. Various “decommissioned” military weapons, including SMGs, are still available as “display pieces” generally, they are over 90% intact, with either a section of the receiver cut away or an aluminum “dummy” installed in its place, to prevent it from being fired. If the altered (or bogus) receiver were to be replaced with one fashioned in one’s home workshop, the weapon could possibly become operational once again.
Serious militants, however, have basement factories capable of producing hundreds of SMGs from scratch, provided there are enough materials. Templates and instruction manuals for building various Sten-type weapons from sections of steel tubing are widely available, and to do so would be a simple task for a skilled machinist with the proper tools. MAC and Uzi-style weapons are more difficult to construct, but would not be beyond the capabilities of a master machinist inclined to break the law.
Submachine guns are typically stockpiled (along with pallets of ammunition) by the wealthier militant organizations particularly those with an apocalyptic vision of the future. Normally, illegal automatic weapons are packed with grease (or desiccant) and buried in a remote location for future use, as their possession is a very serious offense. However, on rare occasions certain criminal groups (typically either foreigners or immature gang bangers) may use their automatic weapons to perpetrate robberies, or to wage war against enemy gangs. You have little risk of encountering a submachine gun on the street unless you’ve been targeted for assassination by a gang which sees your activities as a serious threat to their continued existence.
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