Beretta M12

The Beretta M12 is an Italian submachine gun designed between 1950 and 1959 by Beretta weapons designer Domenico Salza, who revisited an earlier design, the Armaguerra Cremona OG44 submachine gun, to create a modern replacement for outdated equipment. Chambered in 9 by 19 millimeter Parabellum, it entered production in 1959 and was first adopted in limited numbers by Italian law enforcement agencies including the Carabinieri, the Italian State Police and the Guardia di Finanza. Wider military adoption followed in 1978, when it replaced the older Beretta MAB Model 38. The weapon uses a telescoping bolt that allows a long barrel in a compact frame, fires from an open bolt, and offers selective fire between single shots and full automatic. It has remained in service since 1961 and production continues to the present.