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David was known in Cumberland County as a hothead, a thief, and then when the sheriff busted his illegal still, a murderer after he killed a deputy during the raid.
Sentenced to 30 years, David impressed the warden with his metalworking and gunsmith skills and soon was repairing the guards’ own weapons. He tinkered so much the governor gave him an early release to pursue his weapon designs.
You know this man as David M. Williams, inventor of the mechanism leading to semi-automatic weapons, including the M-1 Carbine used in World War II and the movie Carbine Williams.
– Ron Smith, S&A Communications