Tommy Gun

On Cajun Pawn the other night, someone was trying to sell a Tommy Gun. They wanted $65K for that weapon that was made during WWI, but ended up sitting on docks in the United States at the end of the war. When I was a kid, my parents took me to Washington DC on vacation. One of the places we got to go to was the FBI Building. It was the old building. Some poor FBI agent who was probably in trouble, got to show us around the facility. There were probably only 6 to 8 people on the tour and I was the only kid. He took us down into the basement to show us the firing range. When we got down there, the range guy was loading up Tommy Guns for some sort of raid. Our guide got excited and asked if he could demonstrate one to the tourists. The range guy said OK, and handed him a Tommy Gun loaded with a 100 round canister. He acted like a kid with a new toy. He said he had never gotten to fire one of those guns. So, we went into the range in the basement. No ear plugs or any hearing protection. He let loose with a couple of burst from the Tommy Gun. As I recall, he made a happy yell. Empty shells were flying all over the place. I think he probably did a couple of more bursts before he turned around. He asked me if I wanted to shoot the Tommy Gun. Did I? He asked my parents and they said OK. So, he took me to the firing line. Gave me the gun and sort of stood behind me to make sure I didn't blast away at the tour, I suppose. I did a short burst, probably five rounds. It was awesome. He took back the Tommy Gun and said he had to return it to the range master. I picked up a few of the empty brass. I had those for quite a few years. Either my mother threw them out or I traded them for something. I was just a little kid, probably 10 or less. I doubt they let the kids shoot the guns at the FBI building any longer. I doubt you get to the firing range. I remember my ears rang for a couple of days. Ear plugs would have been a good idea. I have no idea if I hit the target, but I certainly knew how our tour guide felt when he got a chance to fire a Tommy Gun.