The Beretta M12 is a 9×19mm Parabellum caliber submachine gun designed by Beretta. Production started in 1959, the first users were the Italian Carabinieri, Italian State Police and the Guardia di Finanza, though in limited numbers; it was only widely issued beginning in 1978, replacing the old Beretta MAB. In 1962 the Italian Army bought a limited number of Franchi LF-57 submachine guns, judged better than the M12 but never issued to the troops, and only in 1992 the M12S2 variant was introduced, in very limited numbers. The Italian Air Force bought instead many M12S and M12S2 for the airport security units. However, the weapon had a higher initial success in the Arab countries and South America.
Beretta M12S displaying extended folding stock.
Carabinieri officers of the Squadrone Eliportato Carabinieri (Carabinieri Helicopter Squadron) armed with M12s.
Beretta M12
Carabinieri armed with a M12, during an exercise.
A submachine gun (SMG) is a magazine-fed automatic carbine designed to fire handgun cartridges. The term "submachine gun" was coined by John T. Thompson, the inventor of the Thompson submachine gun, to describe its design concept as an automatic firearm with notably less firepower than a machine gun. As a machine gun must fire rifle cartridges to be classified as such, submachine guns are not considered machine guns.
A Mini Uzi and a Heckler & Koch MP5K, two common submachine guns
Artillery Luger P08 pistol with snail-drum magazine and removable stock.
The FIAT Mod.1915 is considered by some to be the first submachinegun.
A Standschütze Hellriegel M1915, the first submachinegun with a buttstock, seen here with stick and drum magazines