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January 5, 2012

Bonnie, Clyde guns await auction gavel

CNHI News Service

JOPLIN, Mo. — Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow are gone, but the weapons that made the bandits famous will soon be made available to the highest bidder.

On the auction block will be a .45-caliber Thompson submachine gun once owned by the outlaws as well as a 12-gauge 1897 model Winchester shotgun. The auction will be held in Kansas City later this month.

The weapons are believed to be among those seized after a raid in 1933 at an apartment in Joplin.

The guns have been in the family of Mark Lairmore and his sisters, of Springfield, Mo., since the Great Depression.

Robert Mayo, owner of the Kansas City auction house, said that it will be an exciting day for the company because it is “so rare to see something this notable.”

“These guns are highly collectible and would draw attention in any sale by their own history and merit,” he said. “We are expecting specialist collectors and anyone interested in the mesmerizing tale of Bonnie and Clyde from around the world to be interested in getting their hands on them.”

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