To those that abhorr responsible civilian arms ownership as a deterrent to corrupt government, the M14 is just about the most terrifying weapon imagineable to them.
It empowers the citizen to effectively take arms against most forms of government authority... and with surprise or competent tactics, to win the conflict.
It is a .308 caliber rifle, with enough punch to ruin most body armor except the best ceramic plate. Typical cover becomes concealment.
It is accurate, capable of connecting on target with authority in the hands of a moderately trained rifleman to 400 yards... or to as much as 1000 yards in the hands of an expert.
It has high magazine capacity and cycles itself, making for a recipe for lots of hats on the ground if the situation calls for it.
It cycles reliably in snow, sleet, mud, desert dust and beautiful Missouri afternoons.
The M14 is the M1 Garand, perfected... which was called the finest battle implement ever created.
It is an insult to the M14 to even be included in lists with the Tec-9, MAC-10, Keltec SU-2000 or any of their ilk. How many SU-2000's do you see in the hand of SDM's in Iraq or Afghanistan?
The M14 should terrify the likes of Carolyn McCarthy, Dick Durbin, Nancy Pelosi and Barbara Boxer. But not because of the "shoulder thing that goes up."
The M14 was built specifically for a day when trained riflemen would wage battle against communists.
Turns out, the communists it initially faced were 5'2" and 93 pounds, and could be stopped with poodle pellets. So the Army decided to re-arm with that thought in mind, giving our soldiers more ammunition in the field.
But, the communists nowadays are getting fatter and that .308 cartridge can be easily drafted back into service to fight all of America's enemies, foreign and domestic.
