Casterline and Tommy Guns?
“I hope there is still time to save our history,” said Rick Casterline. “The decision of the sheriff to sell the Thompson submachine guns has already been approved by the county commissioners. Maybe if people knew what we have, we could get them to change their minds.”
“I know that the sheriff’s office needs new cruisers and we need to support that, but after we sell off our history, how do we pay for new cruisers in the years after that?” Casterline asked of the Cambridge Lions Club. “We have the rarest of the rare in these Tommy guns.”
One of the sheriff’s guns has a serial number of 251 and the others are in the low four digit numbers,” Casterline said. “In 2002 one of these guns with a serial number of 167 sold for one hundred thousand dollars. That one was owned by a hardware store and had all the clips, all the papers, and had never been fired.”
“The four submachine guns were donated to the sheriff’s department. Two others were donated to the Cambridge police department. The police department still has one.”
“The ones at the sheriff’s office are part of the fifteen thousand that were manufactured by Colt in the 1920’s. Of those about five thousand are still in existence. They are sought after by wealthy gun collectors.”
“When they were new these guns cost about two hundred dollars,” Casterline said. “A new Ford in the 1920’s cost about four hundred dollars. You can see that they were expensive.”
“There was unrest in the coal fields in the 1930’s,” Casterline said. “The sheriff was Thomas Gracy. The coal companies had donated the Thompson guns to the sheriff. They helped keep the peace at the mines here.”
“At one time in 1932 Gracy and his deputies, armed with the submachine guns, had arrested thirty two people, most for disturbing the peace. Another eight were arrested for violating an order that no more than a few people could picket the mines at one time. They were housed in the jail that used to be behind the courthouse where the parking lot is now.”
“Private ownership of submachine guns was restricted by the Firearms Act of 1934, said Casterline. “The Firearms act of 1986 prevents the sale of new submachine guns to private citizens. The sale of earlier firearms as collectors’ items is still allowed.”
“Maybe if people knew what part the guns had played in our history, they could find another way to pay for the cruisers for the sheriff’s department,” Casterline said.
“I know that the sheriff’s office needs new cruisers and we need to support that, but after we sell off our history, how do we pay for new cruisers in the years after that?” Casterline asked of the Cambridge Lions Club. “We have the rarest of the rare in these Tommy guns.”
One of the sheriff’s guns has a serial number of 251 and the others are in the low four digit numbers,” Casterline said. “In 2002 one of these guns with a serial number of 167 sold for one hundred thousand dollars. That one was owned by a hardware store and had all the clips, all the papers, and had never been fired.”
“The four submachine guns were donated to the sheriff’s department. Two others were donated to the Cambridge police department. The police department still has one.”
“The ones at the sheriff’s office are part of the fifteen thousand that were manufactured by Colt in the 1920’s. Of those about five thousand are still in existence. They are sought after by wealthy gun collectors.”
“When they were new these guns cost about two hundred dollars,” Casterline said. “A new Ford in the 1920’s cost about four hundred dollars. You can see that they were expensive.”
“There was unrest in the coal fields in the 1930’s,” Casterline said. “The sheriff was Thomas Gracy. The coal companies had donated the Thompson guns to the sheriff. They helped keep the peace at the mines here.”
“At one time in 1932 Gracy and his deputies, armed with the submachine guns, had arrested thirty two people, most for disturbing the peace. Another eight were arrested for violating an order that no more than a few people could picket the mines at one time. They were housed in the jail that used to be behind the courthouse where the parking lot is now.”
“Private ownership of submachine guns was restricted by the Firearms Act of 1934, said Casterline. “The Firearms act of 1986 prevents the sale of new submachine guns to private citizens. The sale of earlier firearms as collectors’ items is still allowed.”
“Maybe if people knew what part the guns had played in our history, they could find another way to pay for the cruisers for the sheriff’s department,” Casterline said.
posted by Mane Lion at
11:27 AM
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