submachine gun

Also known as SMG

type of automatic firearm

AI overview

A submachine gun is a lightweight automatic firearm that fires pistol-sized ammunition and can shoot multiple rounds with a single trigger pull. It became tactically important in military and law enforcement operations because its compact size and rapid fire made it effective for close-range combat and indoor situations.

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Wikidata facts

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Commons category: Submachine guns
Commons gallery: Submachine guns

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Article

A Mini Uzi and a Heckler & Koch MP5K, two common submachine guns

A submachine gun (SMG) or sub-gun is a magazine-fed automatic carbine designed to fire handgun cartridges. The term "submachine gun" was coined by John T. Thompson, the inventor of the Thompson submachine gun, to describe its design concept as an automatic firearm with notably less firepower than a machine gun (hence the prefix "sub-"). As a machine gun must fire rifle cartridges to be classified as such, submachine guns are not considered machine guns.