If you’re unfamiliar with the story or need a brief refresher, Bonnie and Clyde were a notorious American criminal duo whose violent two-year spree unfolded across the central United States during the height of the Great Depression. They met in Texas in January 1930 and soon became romantically involved, a bond that shaped the rest of their lives. Joined by a shifting circle of accomplices known as the Barrow Gang, they moved from state to state, stealing cars and robbing small-town gas stations, grocery stores, and the occasional bank. Though popular imagination often cast them as glamorous Robin Hood figures, their day-to-day reality was grim, desperate, and rarely profitable, with many robberies yielding only modest sums. Their mythicized legacy stands in stark contrast to the violence of their crimes, which left 13 people dead, including nine law enforcement officers. As the killings mounted, public sympathy faded, and a large, multi-state manhunt gained momentum. Their rampage ended on May 23, 1934, when a posse led by former Texas Ranger Frank Hamer ambushed their stolen Ford V8 on a rural road in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, killing both of them in a hail of bullets. Their lethal romance and dramatic deaths captured the public imagination, securing their place in American folklore and inspiring many books, plays, and the classic 1967 film starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway. The Browning Auto-5 16-gauge “Whippet” shotgun is widely regarded as the most famous and best-documented firearm associated with Bonnie and Clyde. Made in Belgium by Fabrique Nationale around 1931, this semi-automatic gun was Clyde Barrow’s constant companion throughout the Barrow Gang’s violent two-year crime spree. As with his other shotguns, Clyde modified this one by shortening the barrel and stock. He also rigged it with a rubber-band setup and cut away his coat pockets so the compact weapon could sit hidden against his hip, allowing him to quickly “whip it out” in a sudden confrontation—the move that gave the Whippet its nickname.This 16-gauge shotgun became a pop-culture icon because it appears in the famous playful photographs the outlaws took of themselves, including the well-known image of Bonnie Parker jokingly aiming a gun at Clyde’s chest. The shotgun stayed with Clyde until the end. When law enforcement ambushed and killed the pair in May 1934, Bienville Parish Sheriff Henderson Jordan said this modified Browning Auto-5 was found resting in Clyde’s lap, with Clyde’s right hand still wrapped around the shortened stock. The weapon also bears a lasting reminder of that final ambush: a visible ricochet mark left by one of the bullets. Currently, this firearm is being auctioned by the Rock Island Auction Company. Presented as the historic and iconic shotgun personally modified and carried by Clyde Barrow of the Barrow Gang during the notorious Bonnie and Clyde era, this firearm is a remarkable piece of American history. The bullet ricochet mark is clearly visible on the left side of the receiver, and the identifying marks on the forearm and stock appear in period evidence photographs. It functions mechanically. With impeccable documentation showing that law enforcement recovered it from the car in which Bonnie and Clyde were killed, it would be a strong fit for a serious private or public collection. The estimated price of this icon ranges from $375,000 to $650,000.