Stembridge Gun Rentals

Stembridge Gun Rentals was a prop weapons provider to the US movie and television industry from approximately 1920 through 2007.

During its tenure, nearly every American movie or television set was supplied by Stembridge for their firearms and blanks.

Paramount subsidized the purchase of the guns, while Stembridge maintained and housed them and rented them back to the studio.

[1] On December 7, 1941, Fritz Dickie was contacted by the US Coast Guard to requisition Stembridge's arsenal for use in the event of an invasion by the Japanese, who had just bombed Pearl Harbor.

[1][2] The company also loaned weapons to the California State Guard and California National Guard, and after the weapons were returned they received a letter of thanks from the Harbor Defenses command and signed by Colonel W. W. Hicks of the Coast Artillery Corps.

[1][2] In the firm's 7,000-gun collection in 1969 were two functional Gatling guns; two 17th-century German rifles, a matchlock and a wheellock; and an 1850 palm pistol.

[3] For the 1990 movie Dick Tracy the company supplied 25 Thompsons and rebarrelled, reblued, and reblanked all of them.

[3] What remained of the company had moved to Glendale by 2013 and was being run by Syd Stembridge, the great-nephew of James.