Editing Thompson submachine gun (section)

==Civilian ownership==
===Canada===
All variants and modified versions of Thompson submachine guns (even semiautomatic-only versions) are prohibited by name in Canada, as part of Prohibited Weapons Order No. 13 in 1995. Consequently, they cannot be legally imported or owned except under very limited circumstances. For example, to own one the person must be "[[Grandfather clause|grandfathered]]" (have owned one before the bill was passed against it), and have a valid prohibited-class [[Possession and Acquisition Licence|firearms licence]]. Additionally, it would need to be already registered with the [[Canadian Firearms Registry]]. The submachine gun itself is not grandfathered like in the U.S., only the owner with the valid prohibited-class firearms licence is. The submachine gun can only be sold to other grandfathered individuals with a prohibited-class (12.2) [[Possession and Acquisition Licence|licence]], or to a business, museum or organization with a firearms business licence for prohibited-class firearms.<ref>[https://rcmp.ca/en/firearms/licensing/businesses Businesses] RCMP, Canadian Firearms Program</ref> This keeps prices extremely low as the number of permitted licensed individuals is very small and dwindling with time. Eventually, all prohibited-class firearms will be out of circulation with the grandfathered individual licence holders. However, they will still be able to be owned by licensed businesses and museums.<ref>[http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-98-462/page-2.html#h-4 List of Restricted and Prohibited Firearms], Canadian Firearms Centre (CFC)</ref>{{rp|Part 1.86}}<ref>[http://www.cfc-cafc.gc.ca/factsheets/prohibited_e.asp Prohibited Firearms] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070820143113/http://www.cfc-cafc.gc.ca/factsheets/prohibited_e.asp |date=2007-08-20 }}, Canadian Firearms Centre (CFC)</ref>

===United States===
[[File:1921mc.jpg|thumb|Firing the M1928 Thompson]]
The perceived popularity of submachine guns such as the Thompson with violent gangsters in the 1920s and 1930s was one of the main reasons given for passage of the [[National Firearms Act]] by the [[United States Congress]] in 1934. One of its provisions was that owners of fully automatic firearms were required to register them with the predecessor agency of the modern [[Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives]] (ATF). The law also placed restrictions on the possession, transfer, and transport of the weapons.

There are several U.S.-made [[automatic firearm|automatic]] and [[semi-automatic firearm|semi-automatic]] variants, copies, or replicas. The semi-automatic versions are less regulated by federal law.

===United Kingdom===
The possession of any fully automatic firearm is prohibited in the UK by the [[Firearms Act 1968]]; prohibited firearms can be possessed under Section 5 authority from the Home Office, but these are not issued for sporting purposes. A fully automatic firearm that has been converted to semi-automatic fire, such as the Model 1927, is prohibited by the [[Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988|Firearms Act 1988]], as is any centerfire purpose-made semi-automatic weapon, such as the Model 1927A1. It is now effectively impossible for a firearm of this type to be legally possessed by a member of the general public, except in certified deactivated condition or where specifically manufactured as a semi-automatic in caliber .22LR.

===Germany===
The gun, in a government-approved semiautomatic conversion or clone, can legally be owned by hunters and sport shooters. With a design date prior to 1942 it is not considered a "weapon of war." Only the fully automatic version is a [[Gun legislation in Germany|prohibited weapon]]. As a long gun, it can be bought by hunters (even if it cannot be used to actually hunt for legal reasons). There are disciplines in government-approved sport shooting rulebooks that allow this type to be used, therefore the gun can be bought by sport shooters, too.