(n.) A shoulder arm firing a pistol cartridge and capable of automatic fire. The first such weapon was the Italian Villar-Perosa, introduced during World War I. This weapon was not a great success, but the German Bergmann MP-18, which appeared on the scene shortly thereafter, was. Submachineguns in common use today include the Uzi, produced by Israel Military Industries, and the MP-5, made by Heckler & Koch.