“The FBI has completed its review of records subject to the Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts (FOIPA) that are responsive to your request,” a July 31 letter to attorney Stephen Stemnboulieh from Christina Driver, Acting Section Chief of the FBI’s Record/Information Dissemination Section on the subject of “Christopher Wray’s Gift to Attorney General Garland” begins. “21 pages were reviewed and 21 pages are being released.”
It’s a response to a request submitted in January 2025 by Stamboulieh on my behalf in an attempt to learn more about a “Tommy Gun” presented by then FBI Director Christopher Wray to outgoing Attorney General Merrick Garland, a gift that seemed more than a bit hypocritical to gun owners.
The first question some had: Is it real?
“Went over the video. Took a screen shot of the ‘Tommy gun’,” firearms designed and president of Historic Arms, LLC, Len Savage replied to my inquiry. “Note the red muzzle indicating a replica… Could just be a red plug on real gun, but I doubt it. Most resin and metal replicas all come with this plugged muzzle.
My FOIA request asked for:
- All records regarding procurement of the “tommy gun,” including all transfer documentation and costs, or, if applicable, purchase records, including compliance with bidding requirements, and showing who authorized and paid for the purchase, and the total amount paid;
- All records establishing compliance with Justice Management Division’s Departmental Ethics Office’s “Gifts and Entertainment” policy;
- All records pertaining to that specific “tommy gun”;
- Records regarding Attorney General Garland’s last date of employment; and
- If applicable, records of compliance with all regulations for transferring functional, deactivated or replica machineguns, including communications with and approvals by the Washington, DC Metropolitan Police Department.
What was returned a year-and-a-half later was a lot of boilerplate about rules, exemptions, how to file disputes, and mostly irrelevant ceremony agenda, schedule, and speaker information, interspersed with some responsive procurement documentation. It showed the “Tommy Gun” was, in fact, a replica that came with a stand, and a total cost with shipping of $268.16, from Replica Weaponry. The order confirmation has an interesting footnote that relates directly to a point raised in the 2025 AmmoLand article:
NOTE: Replica and Blank Firing Guns may be restricted in some states and municipalities. ORDERS CONTAINING RESTRICTED ITEMS WILL NOT SHIP.
Quoting International Military Antiques, my 2025 article noted:
New made replica guns cannot be shipped to WASHINGTON DC, MA, CT, WI, NYC, (in NY, CA & KS must be used for Theatrical Purposes Only) these locations either restrict or prohibit commerce in imitation firearms that are replicas of modern firearms. We can only ship modern replica firearms to these jurisdictions under certain circumstances.
May we assume those circumstances to get the replica to DOJ HQ include “Only Ones” exemptions? The FOIA response doesn’t say.
“With stonewalling and refusals being a hallmark of the last administration, it will be interesting to see what the FBI/DOJ position will be under a Pam Bondi/Kash Patel administration,” I noted at the time Stamboulieh filed the request. “The more things change, the more they stay the same” comes to mind.
With Stamboulieh leaving private practice to work for DOJ, there’s just not enough further information to be gained to make it worth it to me to arrange for another attorney to pursue this matter any further. In the grand scheme of things, there are more important battles to fight. It is, however, a pretty good indicator that no matter who is running things, the bureaucratic prerogative will always be to protect the institution.
The FOIA response is embedded below.
Second Amendment Attorney Stamboulieh Leaving Private Practice for Department of Justice
About David Codrea:
David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating/defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” is a regularly featured contributor to Firearms News, and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.
