Editing Submachine gun (section)

{{Short description|Type of automatic firearm}}
[[File:UZI and MP5K (3315252178).jpg|thumb|A [[Mini Uzi]] and a [[Heckler & Koch MP5K]], two common submachine guns]]A '''submachine gun''' ('''SMG''') is a [[magazine (firearms)|magazine]]-fed [[automatic firearm|automatic]] [[carbine]] designed to fire [[handgun cartridge]]s. The term "submachine gun" was coined by [[John T. Thompson]], the inventor of the [[Thompson submachine gun]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The%20Thompson%20submachine%20gun:%20shooting%20a%2020th%20century%20icon.-a0172907495|title=The Thompson submachine gun: shooting a 20th century icon. - Free Online Library}}</ref> to describe its design concept as an [[automatic firearm]] with notably less [[firepower]] than a [[machine gun]] (hence the prefix "[[wikt:sub-|sub-]]"). As a machine gun must fire [[rifle cartridge]]s to be classified as such, submachine guns are not considered machine guns.

The submachine gun was developed during [[World War I]] (1914–1918) as a [[Close-quarters battle|close quarter]] offensive weapon, mainly for [[trench raiding]]. At its peak during [[World War II]] (1939–1945), millions of submachine guns were made for [[shock troops|assault troops]] and [[auxiliaries]] whose [[military doctrine|doctrine]]s emphasized [[close-quarters combat|close-quarter]] [[suppressive fire]]. New submachine gun designs appeared frequently during the [[Cold War]],<ref name="Century. Ian Hogg 2000. p93">Military Small Arms Of The 20th Century. Ian Hogg & John Weeks. Krause Publications. 2000. p93</ref> especially among [[special forces]], [[covert operation]] [[commando]]s and [[mechanized infantry]]men. Submachine gun usage for frontline combat decreased in the 1980s and 1990s,<ref name="Century. Ian Hogg 2000. p93" /> and by the early 21st century, submachine guns have largely been replaced by [[assault rifles]],<ref name="Century. Ian Hogg 2000. p93" /> which have a longer [[effective range]], have increased [[stopping power]], and can better penetrate the helmets and body armor used by modern soldiers.<ref name="defensereview.com">{{Cite web |title=Submachine Guns (SMG's): Outpaced by Today's Modern Short-Barreled Rifles (SBR's)/Sub-Carbines, or Still a Viable Tool for Close Quarters Battle/Close Quarters Combat (CQB/CQC)? |url=https://defensereview.com/submachine-guns-smgs-outpaced-by-today%e2%80%99s-modern-short-barreled-rifles-sbrssub-carbines-or-still-a-viable-tool-for-close-quarters-battleclose-quarters-combat-cqbcqc/ |access-date=2023-06-19 |website=DefenseReview.com |language=en-US}}</ref>  However, they are still used by [[security forces]], [[police tactical unit]]s, [[paramilitary]] and [[bodyguard]]s for [[close-quarters combat]] because they are "a pistol-caliber weapon that's easy to control, and less likely to [[overpenetration|overpenetrate]] the target".<ref name="defensereview.com" />{{TOC limit|3}}