Ninety-one years ago today, a group of police officers entered a Chicago garage to confront a group of gangster-bootleggers as they unloaded a shipment of illegal hooch. Except the officers weren’t real…they were from a rival gang.
I recently had the opportunity to get some “hands-on history” time with the guns from that infamous murder. The video below details the storied history of the two actual Thompson submachine guns used in the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre on February 14, 1929.
For those of you who can’t watch the video because you’re at work, here’s some photos to hold you over until you’re able to check it out:
Logan Metesh is a firearms historian and consultant who runs High Caliber History LLC. Click here for a free 3-page download with tips about caring for your antique and collectible firearms.
This article was originally published in 2019.