The beta dump thread made me remember my time with a Thompson.

[SPBCTS]

I am retired LEO. When I started with my former agency, a local cop shop in 1980, we used to hear rumors that the dept. had an original Thompson full auto rat-holed someplace, but no one would own up to it. We heard that they were issued to the local agencies during the 50's by the fed or state.

Fast forward 5-6 years, I am now an FTO and a rangemaster, and I am over at our secure storage with a Sgt. going through some stuff because we are getting kicked out of this area by some other county dept. In this room, behind a shelf rack is a closet door with a dead bolt. We get all the stuff off the shelf rack load it into the truck and then and spend a couple minutes going through the key ring looking for the key.

We get the right key get the door open, one shelf in closet.

What do I see but three, not one, but three "violin" style cases.

My heart leaped.

Sure as heck, three Thompson machine guns, with forward pistol grips and complete with drum and stick magazines, all three looked as new.

We couldn't believe it. WE loaded them up and went back to our main office.

No one could believe it. Since the Sgt. was the senior rangemaster and I his #2, we "took custody" and secured them in our range locker in a corner of the Evidence Tech's room used by the Sgt's. About a week later he had one all cleaned up and called me on the phone on my day off.

"Wanna go play with Tommy?"

Enroute.

Unreal feeling, really unreal. Even with just the stick mag those things are heavy, and the cycling rate is nothing like modern weaponry, but boy are they fun to shoot. I can't imagine what one of those would weigh with a loaded 100 round drum.

We shot it a couple more times, them tucked them all away. They were part of the history of our agency, and we wanted to care for them as such.

I made Sgt. a few years later, and went to look at them.

They were gone.

Some idiot Lt., whom I'd never got along with, and who was the bean-counter, traded them off to the state dept. of justice for 6 Vietnam era AR-15's and a handful of magazines.

He thought he was saving some money.

I about blew a gasket. The agency head heard me yelling behind closed doors form his office next door and came in to ask WTF was going on. I had showed him the Tommy's when he got elected, and told him how I felt and he agreed. We never suspected this clown would do what he did.

That Lt. was put in charge of the pencil vault and never promoted again.

But the damage was done, our Thompsons were gone.

Still makes me mad to think about it.

[unforgiven]

Wow great story sad ending,thanks for shareing brother.