Intratec TEC DC9

Three different models of Intratec TEC-DC9 were available, but all of them were referred to as TEC-9. But only one model was sold under that name.

By: admin Posted: December 13, 2007

Intratec TEC 9 was a blowback operated, semi automatic, 9 cross 19 mm Parabellum caliber firearm. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and firearms classified it as a handgun. It was made up of cheap molded polymer and steel parts. Magazines which could hold up to 10, 20, 32, 36 and 50 rounds were available.

This gun was initially designed by a Swedish Company called as Interdynamic AB of Stockholm as the MP-9. It was intended for military applications in the cheap sub machine gun range according to Carl Gustaf M/45. Interdynamic was not able to interest the governments of various countries and thus this gun never entered production process. Interdynamic was not ready to abandon the design and it set up a US subsidiary of its company so that it can market a semiautomatic version of this handgun to the civilians. MP-9 was then redesigned by George Kellgren and was renamed as KG-9, after the initials of the designers Geroge Kellgren and Carlos Garcia.

Due to its submachine gun heritage, the KG-9 model of TEC-9 had an open bolt feature which made it very easy to convert it into a fully automatic submachine gun. This was obviously illegal. Criminals discovered this fact about TEC 9 and hence it was imprinted in public’s mind with gang violence, especially by drive by shootings.

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) responded to this threat in 1982 by forcing Interdynamic, which was then known as Intratec, to convert this design into a closed bolt action which would make it much harder to become fully automatic. The closed bolt model was called KG 99 and was first called as TEC 9 and later was known as TEC DC9. The popularity of TEC 9 made it an instant hit among the criminals though only a few were able to convert it into the fully automatic gun.

Both, TEC-9 and TEC-DC9 have been listed under the 19 firearms that are banned by name by the 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban. This Ban lead to cessation of their manufacturer and compelled Intratec to introduce a new model known as AB-10 (After Ban) that did not have a barrel shroud and threaded muzzle.

TEC-DC9 is the weapon which was used by Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold in the Columbine High School Massacre of 1999. Iin 2001, Intratec went out of business and the AB-10 model ceased to be produced. Use of TEC-DC9 compelled California to amend its 1989 Roberti-Roos-Assault Weapons Act to ban firearms which have newly introduced firearm features.

The weight of this model varied from 1.23 kg to 1.4 kg depending on various variants. The length was somewhere between 241 mm and 317 mm for each model and this gun has been classified as a Handgun.

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