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The Mob Museum to Unveil Tommy Guns Used in St. Valentine’s Day Massacre Feb. 14

The Mob Museum, the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, celebrates its second anniversary with a day of free admission for locals, sponsored by Zappos, and the unveiling of a special, limited-time-only display of two Thompson Machine Guns used in the infamous St. Valentine’s Day Massacre of 1929. 

On hand for the unveiling for media will be Jonathan Ullman, executive director, The Mob Museum and Lt. Mike Kline, Berrien County, Mich., Sheriff’s Department, where the guns are housed.

The artifacts go hand-in-hand with the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre Wall that has been part of the Museum’s collection since its opening on Feb. 14, 2012. One of the most notorious murders in the history of organized crime was Chicago’s St. Valentine’s Day Massacre when, on Feb. 14, 1929, seven members of Bugs Moran’s gang were lined up against this wall, shot and killed by Al Capone’s gang.

The two machine guns, numbered #7580 and #2347, were first positively identified by Colonel Calvin Goddard, forensic scientist specializing in ballistics, in December 1929 after investigating many Thompson guns found in the Chicago area. These two guns, on display at the Museum Feb. 14 and 15, are the only guns scientifically proven to be part of the 1929 St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.

Thompson #7580 was marked Exhibit “A” and was determined to have fired one 20-round magazine at the Massacre scene. Thompson #2347 was marked Exhibit “B” and was determined to have fired one 50-round magazine at the Massacre scene.

WHEN:

Friday, Feb. 14

• 9 a.m. – press conference and limited-time-only exhibit unveiling
• 10 a.m. – Museum opens to the public for free admission day for locals, two-for-one admission for out-of-town visitors
• 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. – presentations by Lt. Mike Kline about the Thompson Machine Guns used in the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre