C&R · IV · 084
Erma EMP (MPE) machine pistol
Section IV: still an NFA firearm, also a curio or relic
Official wording
ATF P 5300.11 · APRIL 2025 EDITION · SECTION IV · VERBATIM · PDF P. 84 ↗
German, Erma (EMP), or MPE, cal. 9mm, machine pistol.
What this entry requires
- INFOATF states no date; production was about 1931–1938.
- INFOStill an NFA firearm; only registered examples transfer, with ATF approval (26 U.S.C. 5812, 5861).
Editorial facts · Our research
- Country
GermanyBasis: the ATF wording - Manufacturer
- Erfurter Maschinenfabrik (Erma)Basis: outside reference ¹
- Type
- SMGBasis: the ATF wording
- Action
- Select-fire / autoBasis: the ATF wording
- Caliber
- 9mmBasis: the ATF wording
- Made
- 1931–1938production; ATF states no dateBasis: outside reference ²
- Service
- Military
Source
- Official wording
- ATF P 5300.11, April 2025 edition · Section IV · PDF p. 84 ↗ · ATF original ↗
- Entries
- 1 line
- Verbatim check
- Checked against the PDF text before every release
- Editorial facts
- Confidence: High · Last revised 18 October 2026 (Evidence pass) · How we rate confidence
- References
- 1. Wikipedia, “Erma EMP” ↗, maker: 'produced by the Erma factory' (infobox manufacturer Erma Werke)
- 2. Wikipedia, “Erma EMP” ↗, years: 'The gun was produced from 1931 to 1938' (infobox production date 1931–1938)
- Fact tags
- ATF the ATF wording states it.
- REF ¹ an outside reference supports it; the number points to the list of references.
- ESTIMATE an approximate or indirect reading, for example the production range of the base model.
- NO CITATION we haven’t attached a reference for this fact; it’s our editorial reading, not ATF’s.
- Source checked
- 20 October 2026: ATF’s page still lists the April 2025 edition
- Corrections
- None
Historical context
Image: Wikimedia Commons, “Mauser ERMA Muzeum Powstania Warszawskiego 2014-gradient.jpg” by Adrian Grycuk, CC BY 3.0 pl. Retrieved October 2026.
Summary: Wikipedia, “Erma EMP”. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.
FROM WIKIPEDIA
The German submachine gun EMP also known as MPE was produced by the Erma factory, and was based on designs acquired from Heinrich Vollmer. The gun was produced from 1931 to 1938 in roughly 10,000 copies and exported to Spain, Mexico, China and Yugoslavia, but also used domestically by the SS. It was produced under license in Spain by the arsenal of A Coruña under the designation M41/44.