The Beretta M9, a semiautomatic 9 mm pistol, has served as the standard-issue U.S. Army sidearm since 1985. Beretta is made by an Italian gunmaker that goes back 15 generations to 1526. That's when the founder made cannon barrels for the arsenal of Venice. The company has a factory in Maryland, where it makes the M9 for the Army. It plans to move that factory to Tennessee, which has looser gun laws. Now, the Army is ready for a new gun, and Beretta plans to submit a new design to compete with other gun makers such as Smith & Wesson (SWHC).
