The Thompson submachine gun—better known as the “Tommy Gun”—became one of the most infamous weapons of the Prohibition era. Designed during World War I, it was capable of firing hundreds of rounds per minute and soon found its way into the hands of gangsters in cities like Chicago and New York. Its devastating firepower transformed gangland warfare, turning street fights between rival bootlegging gangs into rapid-fire spectacles that shocked the public and helped cement the violent reputation of the American Mafia during the 1920s.



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