Barrett M82/M107 Named Tennessee’s Official State Rifle

Story based on report in Midsouth Shooters Blog.
The Tennessee General Assembly passed a resolution this past week making the Barrett Model 82/M107 Tennessee’s official state rifle. Barrett’s plant and headquarters are situated in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. “We are honored by the resolution and proud to have our rifle officially recognized within our home state,” said Chris Barrett, president of Barrett Firearms. “For more than 32 years, we have been committed to innovation in the firearms industry while maintaining the highest standards for precision and reliability.”

The Barrett rifle is a true Tennessee success story: A rifle born from sketches hand-drawn at a dining room table by then 26-year-old photographer Ronnie Barrett, who was born, raised, and educated in Tennessee. The firearm design — considered impossible at the time — was a shoulder-firable, semi-automatic .50 caliber rifle. Using sketches of his design, Barrett worked in a one-bay garage with a tool-and-die maker to build the first prototype.

His creation, the Model 82/M107, pioneered an entirely new classification of rifle and changed battlefield tactics. The .50-caliber rifle is fielded by the military forces of about 70 allied governments.

Today, Ronnie Barrett is one of only four people in the past 100 years to invent a rifle type classified and adopted for use by the United States military. The M107 was recognized, in a ceremony in Washington, D.C., by the Office of the Chief of Staff of the United States Army as one of the “top ten greatest inventions” for its service.