Intratec TEC 9

Description

The Intratec TEC-9, originally the KG-99, was a semi-automatic pistol chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum that was designed by Intratec, an American offshoot of Interdynamic AB. The TEC-9 was made of inexpensive molded polymers and a mixture of stamped and milled steel parts. This article also covers the similar TEC-DC9 and AB-10 models both designed to circumvent bans.

Swedish company Interdynamic AB of Stockholm designed the Interdynamic MP-9 9mm submachine gun. Intended as an inexpensive submachine gun based on the Carl Gustav M/45 for military applications, Interdynamic did not find a government buyer, so it was brought to US market as an open-bolt semi-automatic KG-9 pistol. Due to it being an open-bolt weapon, it was easy to convert to full-auto. Because of this, the ATF forced Interdynamic to redesign it into a closed-bolt system, which was harder to convert to full-auto. This variant was called the KG-99. It made frequent appearances on Miami Vice, where it was legally converted to full-auto by Title II manufacturers. The TEC-9 was produced from 1985 to 1994.

After the Cleveland School massacre, the TEC-9 was in California’s list of banned weapons. To circumvent this, Intratec rebranded a variant of the TEC-9 as the TEC-DC9 from 1990 to 1994 (DC standing for “Designed for California”). 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. The TEC-9 and TEC-DC9 are otherwise identical.

The TEC-9 and, eventually, TEC-DC9 variants were listed among the 19 firearms banned by name in the USA by the now expired 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban (AWB). This ban caused the cessation of their manufacture, and forced Intratec to introduce a newer model called the AB-10, a TEC-9 Mini without a threaded muzzle/barrel shroud and limited to a 10 round magazine instead of a 20 or 32 round magazine. However, it accepted the high capacity magazines of the pre-ban models.

The weapon was the subject of controversy following its use in the 101 California Street shootings and later the Columbine High School massacre. California amended its 1989 Roberti-Roos Assault Weapons Control Act (AWCA) later in 1999, effective January 2000, to ban firearms having features such as barrel shrouds. In 2001, the Supreme Court of California ruled that Intratec was not liable for the 1993 California Street attacks. The company went out of business and production of the AB-10 ceased the same year.