Sheriff Looking To Trade In Old Tommy Gun

JEFFERSON COUNTY, N.Y. -- It's a gun that was made very famous by some very famous criminals back in the 1920's. Remember Bonnie and Clyde?

It's a fully automatic submachine gun called a Tommy Gun.

Al Capone, he used them during the infamous St. Valentine's Day Massacre.

One of those guns today, is worth a lot of money. Jefferson County Sheriff John Burns has two in his office worth about $30,000 a piece.

With his department needing some new equipment, he got an idea. Trade one of them for some new guns that his deputies can use.

"So we put it out to several gun dealers and we got a couple different offers back in," Burns said. "We picked the best one."

That offer was 16 new semiautomatic rifles. Some with scopes, and extra clips for them as well. In all a value of $28,000.

"Certainly this is a changing area and I don't want to be put in a position where we don't have the equipment that we need and end up having somebody injured because of that." Burns added.

But this wasn't an easy deal. Burns had to go through the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Who told him he could only trade guns to a dealer with a Class-3 license. And also he could only trade one of the guns, because the other didn't have a clear registration. Which actually Burns says he didn't mind as it was hard enough to trade the first one.

The trade must still be approved by the county board of legislators. But the couple that we talked to said that wouldn't be a problem."

"...I don't want to be put in a position where we don't have the equipment that we need and end up having somebody injured because of that."

Injured because they didn't have an underpowered, semi-automatic poodle shooter.

I see.

So trading an old Thompson that was most likely stolen from a civilian is the answer.

Beg pardon. "Stolen" isn't the word they'd use, as jackboots call such felonious deeds "confiscation".