Submachine gun
Submachine guns lend themselves to moderation with suppressors, particularly so in cases where the weapon is loaded with subsonic ammunition. Variants of the Sten and modern-day Heckler & Koch MP5 have been manufactured with integral silencers, and such weapons are on occasion used by special forces and police units. After the Korean War, the role of submachine guns in military applications was gradually diminished. Both submachine guns and battle rifles were supplanted by the new assault rifles, such as the CAR-15 and Heckler & Koch HK53.
Submachine guns are still used by special forces and counter-terrorist units operating in urban environments or cramped interior areas, and as defense weapons for air crews, armored vehicle crews, and naval personnel. Though submachine guns still have a strong hold on niche users, due to their advantage in compact size, they are facing competition from carbines, cut-down assault rifles. The dominance of submachine guns in law enforcement tactical operations has been diminished by new developments since the 1990s. Factors such as the wide availability of assault rifles and carbines and the increasing use of body armor have combined to limit the appeal of submachine guns to government agencies. Assault rifles and carbines have been supplementing submachine guns in some roles. However, assault rifles are not a complete replacement, since they are generally heavier, have greater muzzle blast, more recoil, and may be likely to overpenetrate due to their use of rifle rounds.
Also touted as a successor to the submachine gun is the personal defense weapon (PDW), a machine pistol-like weapon which fires armor-piercing pistol cartridges. The PDW is similar in operation to submachine guns and is often considered as such. However, the PDW's specialized ammunition is incompatible with common pistol and rifle rounds, and it is less effective than rifle rounds against unarmored targets.[citation needed] The trend in modern submachine guns had been toward lighter, smaller weapons utilizing plastics to a greater degree.
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Legality
In the United States, submachine guns are regulated under the National Firearms Act of 1934 as amended by Title II of the Gun Control Act of 1968 and Firearms Owners' Protection Act of 1986. The manufacture of machine guns for civilian ownership has been illegal since this law passed. Machine guns in circulation previous to 1986 were grandfathered allowing them to be owned by civilians legally only if they were properly registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. For more information on the subject see the NFA link above.
Switzerland allows the private ownership of semi-automatic versions of submachine guns as sporting firearms. Fully automatic submachine guns may only be owned by collectors and may not be fired in fully automatic mode. Many other countries such as Germany, Austria and Italy authorize the private ownership of semi-automatic versions of submachine guns as sporting firearms, in some cases with modifications. Italy requires the magazine capacity to be permanently reduced to 5 or 10 rounds depending on the case, and requires a permanently fixed stock. The fully-automatic submachine guns remain forbidden for civilian use.
Czech Republic allows the ownership of all kinds of automatic weapons up to .50 caliber for collectors who obtain a license from the Ministry of the Interior. In the United Kingdom, however they are prohibited except for use by the police and military. The exception is relatively hard to obtain and depends largely on the discretion of the local police department. Finland and Sweden allows ownership of submachine guns and other automatic weapons, though subject to licensing. Private ownership of submachine guns and indeed all automatic weapons (except weapons disabled and forming part of a collection) are banned in all Australian states though they are used by the various states' police services (mainly if not exclusively by specialist counter-terrorist or SWAT units) and the Australian military.
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References
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External links
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See also
- List of submachine guns
- Blowback
- Firearm action
- Semi-automatic pistol
- Personal defense weapon
- Sputter Gun
- Submachine gun competition
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