| TEC-9 | |
|---|---|
 Interdynamic AB KG-99 Mini | |
| Type | |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Production history | |
| Designer | George Kellgren |
| Manufacturer | Intratec |
| Produced | 1984–2001 |
| No. built | 257,434 |
| Variants |
|
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 1.23–1.4 kg depending on model |
| Length | 241–317 mm depending on model |
| Barrel length | 76–127 mm depending on model |
| Cartridge | 9×19mm Parabellum |
| Caliber | 9mm |
| Action | Blowback-operated,semi-automatic |
| Muzzle velocity | 1,181 ft/s (360 m/s) |
| Effective firing range | 50 m (160 ft) |
| Feed system | 10-, 20-, 32-, 36- and 50-round box magazine, 72-rounddrum magazine |
| Sights | Iron sight |
TheIntratec TEC-9,TEC-DC9,KG-99, andAB-10 are a line of blowback-operated semi-automaticpistols. They were developed byIntratec, an Americansubsidiary of the Swedish firearms manufacturerInterdynamic AB. Introduced in 1984, the TEC-9 is made of inexpensive moldedpolymers and a mixture ofstamped and milled steel parts. The simple design of the gun made it easy to repair and modify. It was a commercial success, with over 250,000 being sold.
Similar to theAK-47's symbolism withThird World andleftist revolutionaries and theThompson submachine gun withProhibition-era gangsters, the TEC-9 is notorious inAmerican pop culture for its association withcriminal gangs,drive-by shootings andmass shootings in the 1990s, with it most notably being used during the101 California Street shooting and theColumbine High School massacre.
Interdynamic AB, a Swedishfirearms manufacturer based inStockholm, designed theInterdynamic MP-9, intended as an inexpensive9mmsubmachine gun based on theCarl Gustav M/45 for military applications. The firearm was initially intended for adoption by the South Africanapartheid government,[2] though it was rejected and shipped to various other nations. Ultimately, Interdynamic did not find a government buyer.
As a result, the weapon was taken by lead designerGeorge Kellgren to the United States domestic market as anopen-bolt semi-automatic pistol, redesigned to eliminate its collapsible stock and vertical foregrip features per theNational Firearms Act of 1934 and marketed under the subsidiary Interdynamic USA brand. Still, the design was deemed too easy to convert to anautomatic weapon. Due to this, theBureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) forced Interdynamic USA to redesign the firearm into aclosed-bolt system, which was harder to convert to an automatic weapon. This variant was called the KG-99, and was popularized when it made frequent appearances on the popular television showMiami Vice, where it was legally converted to full auto byTitle II manufacturers.[3][4]
The KG-9 and KG-99 have an open-end upper receiver tube where thebolt, recoil springs, andbuffer plate are held in place by the plastic/polymer lower receiver frame. This design only allows for 115 grains (7.5 g) 9mm ammunition, and if a heavier grain ammunition or hot loads are used, the plastic lower receiver will fail or crack, rendering the firearm unusable. Later versions of the TEC-9 and AB-10 had athreaded upper receiver tube at the rear and a screw-on end cap to contain the bolt, recoil spring, and buffer plate even if removed from the lower receiver, solving the problem of lower receiver failure when using hot ammo.
Following the 1989Cleveland School massacre, the TEC-9 was placed onCalifornia's list of banned weapons. To circumvent this, Intratec rebranded a variant of the TEC-9 asTEC-DC9 from 1990 to 1994 (withDC standing for "Designed forCalifornia"). The most noticeable external difference between the TEC-9 and the later TEC-DC9 is that rings to hold the sling were moved from the side of the gun with the cocking handle to a removable stamped metal clip in the back of the gun. In 1993, the weapon was the subject of further controversy following its use in the 101 California Street shootings[5][6] That same year, California amended the 1989Roberti–Roos Assault Weapons Control Act (AWCA), effective January 2000, to ban handguns having features such asbarrel shrouds.[7][8][9] During the 1990s the TEC-9 also developed a reputation for its use by Americanstreet gangs and organized crime syndicates, who were attracted to the large capacity 32-round magazines and low cost of the firearm.[10]
The TEC-9 was produced from 1985 until 1994, when the model and TEC-DC9 variants were banned nationally in the United States, among the 19 firearms banned by name in the now-expired 1994Federal Assault Weapons Ban (AWB).[11][12] This ban forced Intratec to cease their manufacture, and forced them to introduce a newer model. The following year Intratec introduced theAB-10 ("AB" standing for "AfterBan"), a TEC-9 Mini without athreaded muzzle/barrel shroud and sold with a smaller 10-round magazine instead of 20- or 32-round magazines. However, the AB-10 still accepted the larger capacity magazines of the pre-ban TEC-9 models which were often acquired by users in place of the standard magazine. In 1999, the TEC-DC9 Mini was notoriously used byDylan Klebold, one of the perpetrators of the Columbine High School massacre, ending with him using it to take his own life.[13]
In 1994, the TEC-9 was used by murder suspect Bennie Lee Lawson in a shooting atHenry Daly Building inWashington D.C., killing two FBI agents, one police officer and wounding another FBI agent and a civilian before taking his own life.[14]
The TEC-9 was also used in the 1990 drive-by shooting atNashville, TennesseeWest End Synagogue by Grand Wizard of theKu Klux KlanLeonard William Armstrong.[15]
In 2001, theSupreme Court of California ruled that Intratec was not liable for the 1993 101 California Street attacks, and that same year Intratec wasdissolved and production of the AB-10 model ceased.[16] Although still found on the used firearms market and legal on the federal level since 2004, the TEC-9 and similar variants are banned, often by name, in several US states including California,New York,New Jersey, andMaryland.[17]
Quantities of an illegally-made 9mmmachine pistol were seized in Europe in 2017. Despite beingimprovised weapons (and not developed by Intratec) they were nonetheless marked as "Intratec TEC-9", believed to possibly have been done as a means to improve the street value of the weapon.[18]
