TEC-9

What is a TEC-9?

A TEC-9 (TEC DC-9) is an “assault pistol” that was developed and manufactured Intratec Firearms. The gun is also known as an AB-10 if it was manufactured after 1994. The gun has a reputation of being used in numerous mass killings and crimes in the United States because it has a large magazine and is fairly cheap. Many criminals have converted the fun into a fully automatic weapon.

The weapon serves little purpose to a professional shooter because it’s heavy and its accuracy is unreliable.

Gun Characteristics

The gun was designed by George Kellgren and manufactured by Intratec. The original was manufactured up to 1990, and the DC9 was manufactured until 1994. The gun fires 9mm rounds and is semi-automatic and blowback-operated. The feed systems include a 10, 20, 32, or 50-round magazine, and a 72-round magazine was also made available for the gun as well. The fun is effective up to 50 meters.

Mass Killings and the TEC-9

The gun has been used in multiple mass shootings in the United States, and its notorious reputation placed it on the 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban. The gun was involved in the following mass shootings:

101 California Street Shootings

On July 1, 1993, Gian Luigi Ferri, a failed businessman, walked into an office building at 101 California Street. Ferri had installed hellfire triggers on a pair of TEC-9 pistols to make the nearly automatic, and he killed 8 people and injured six during the shooting. Ferri eventually committed suicide as he was surrounded by police.

Columbine High School

On April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 13 people and injured 21 people before they committed suicide. Eric Harris used a 12-guage Savage-Springfield 67H pump-action shotgun along with a Hi-Point 995 Carbine 9 mm carbine. Dylan used a 9 mm TEC-9 and a 12-guage Stevens 311D double-barreled sawed-off shotgun.

Legislation Used to Ban the TEC-9

After Patrick Edward Purdy used a Type 56 Assault Rifle to kill five children and wound another 29 children at the Cleveland Elementary School in Stockton, California, the state of California passed the Roberti-Roos Assault Weapons Control Act of 1989 that banned certain assault weapons including the TEC-9.

The handgun and 19 other firearms were also banned in the United Stated in 1994 after the Federal Assault Weapons Ban, but the ban expired in 2004.

A case was also brought against Intratec after the plaintiff argued the manufacturer was liable for the 101 California Street Shootings. The case made its way to the Supreme Court in 2001, but the Court concluded Intratec was not responsible for the attack.

Conclusion

Multiple attempts have been made to control access to assault weapons, but pseudo-commando type shootings are still occurring in the United States. Some of these shootings are enacted with the use of legal handguns and weapons. So, how do we stop mass shootings if gun laws in the United States cannot prevent such shootings? The answer seems to lie in detecting of a pseudo-commando before the crime occurs.