TEC-9

The Intratec TEC-9, also known as the TEC-DC9 or AB-10, is a blowback-operated semi-automatic pistol chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum. It was developed by Intratec, an American subsidiary of the Swedish firearms manufacturer Interdynamic AB. Introduced in 1985, the TEC-9 was made of inexpensive molded polymers and a mixture of stamped and milled steel parts, and the simple design of the gun made it easy to repair and modify. Interdynamic AB originally designed the TEC-9 as a submachine gun, to serve as a cheaper alternative to the Carl Gustav M/45. The firearm was initially slated for adoption by the apartheid South African government, although this deal fell through. Interdynamic did not find any other government buyers, so it was brought to the US civilian market as an open-bolt semi-automatic pistol. The gun was redesigned to eliminate its collapsible stock and vertical foregrip features, in order to comply with US law at the time. However, the American Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives deemed the design 'too easy to convert into fully automatic fire'. They forced Interdynamic to further modify the TEC-9 into a closed-bolt pistol. The TEC-9 developed a negative reputation for its association with organized crime and mass shootings in the 1990s. In 1984, the weapon would be placed on California's list of banned firearms, and was among the 19 firearms banned by name in the now-expired 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban. Despite the gun being constantly mired in controversy, it was a commercial success, and over 250,000 copies were produced until Intratec dissolved in 2001.