300,000 M-14s destined for trash pile

WorldNet Daily ^ | June 15, 2003

[Mini-14]

A petition drive is underway to convince lawmakers to "civilianize" hundreds of thousands of M-14 military battle rifles so they can be legally sold by the government to the general public as a way to pay for the Iraq war.

According to the online petition, "there is a strong demand for an M-14 DCM [Director of Civilian Marksmanship] program, which will curb government waste by providing up to $300-600 million [for] deficit reduction."

 

M-14

"With uncertainty of the price tag of the current war, this will help pay for freedoms we enjoy in this country," says the petition. "With the looming war deficit, our government should not throw away hundreds of millions of dollars by destroying M-14 rifles – some of which are brand new."

The petition, which is being spearheaded by Robert A. Yoder, says as many as 300,000 rifles could wind up in the scrap heap without the government getting any return on its investment.

The DCM program to save the M-14s could work like a similar program involving another venerable military workhorse, the M-1 (Garand) and M-1 carbine series of military rifles.

 

M1 Garand

The DCM sold those through the Civilian Marksmanship Program, a course that promotes firearms safety training and rifle practice for all qualified U.S. citizens with special emphasis on youth.

The Civilian Marksmanship Program also offers for sale AR-15-type match rifles, M1917 Enfields, M1903 bolt-action rifles (a former U.S. military weapon) and .22-caliber target rifles at subsidized rates.

 

M1903 bolt-action rifle

"The U.S. Rifle, 7.62 mm, M-14 was the first rifle the U. S. fielded that improved upon the highly regarded U. S. Rifle, Caliber.30, M1 (Garand) and attempted to give U. S. Forces a NATO-standardized weapon," says the online petition. "The M-14 came into active service around 1957 and remained the standard infantry weapon until the official adoption of the M-16 rifle in the late 1960s.

"Like its predecessor, the M-14 is now relegated to ship's arms rooms, ROTC detachments, storage bins in government arsenals and, of late, the demilitarized scrap pile," says the petition.

[fish hawk]

I hate to be a "glass half full" guy but I bet they burn. Here in Hawaii every so many years at Haleakala National Park they get new saddles and guns for the rangers etc. and guess what, they burn all the old ones. Nothing wrong with them and they wont turn them loose to the public, they burn them. Chances are that is Park policy all over the U. S. Knowing this , is why I say they wont release the M 14s.

[sfvgt]

I have a small collection of AR-15's which includes just about every variant.........you would be very surprised with the results from an Olympic Ultramatch preban.........right out of the box I was shooting 1 inch groups at 50 yards.......with a little extra grooming, I no longer shoot at convential targets......I now shoot at quarters, knobs off of radios, pop top lids........at a distance of between 50 to 100 yards.......no bench rests or sand bags......I don't hit them all the time but I hit them enough to scare the crap out of my friends, one of who was a marine sniper.......and I do it with stock police ammo......

[sfvgt]

I know.......my spelling sucks

[bota]

Signed bang......

[Blue Leader]

These rifles should NOT be turned loose on the streets. Many of you may not realize that these weapons of war are equipped with BAYONET LUGS!

Letting these killing machines loose in the concrete jungle will cerainly result in massive casualties resulting from random Drive-By Bayonettings in the 'hood. It is well known that these are the weapons of choice for wiley gang-bangers and they will quickly take advantage of the added killing power of a double edged bayonet and the extended reach of the M-14 rifle.

Please take a stand for reason and demand that the bayonet lugs be removed before a massacre takes place.

[FreePaul]

I bought, from the DCM, a 1903 Springfield, 1911 .45 ACP, M1 Carbine and a Hi-Standard .22 target pistol. Most I paid was $17.00. Later they were selling Garands for around $100.00 but I thought it too much to pay so I didn't get one.

[STONEWALLS]

"Heck, their giving them away to police dept.'s. Were getting 4 M-14's and 4 M-16's too. Said it was for Homeland Security."

I'm glad to hear of this Cap'n.....in certain situations law enforcement definately needs an M-14 in their battery.....remember those California bank robbers that shot it out for 45 minutes with the police several years ago?.....those guys were in full body armor.....hello!...it's big bore time!...forget the lightweight, high speed stuff...time to 'break on thru to the other side'.....BTW I was in New York City when the war on Iraq started....the city was in a state of Max security alert....police presence was every where and guess what rifles they were carrying?.....mini-14s

[manic4organic]

I want one!

[clintonh8r]

I had almost no shooting experience when I entered TBS at Quantico in 1968, but I qualified "Expert" with the M14. It's a great weapon and very "shooter-friendly." I would love to have one.

[Double Tap]

But what you don't understand, is that all these M-14's were built before the '94 ban on bayonet lugs. So these M-14's are perfectly safe to have them. They can not cause drive - by - bayonetings as they are pre-ban.

Only those rifles that were/are made after Sept '94 become deadly after a bayo lug is installed.

[Centurion2000]

What a damn travesty.

[2111USMC]

I took the time to read the full petition before signing.

The entire process took me less than a minute.

Sign-up!

[Calpernia]

Gun ping

[Young Werther]

Uncle's surplus is unimaginable. In 1962 our Air Force ROTC drill team needed some replacement '03s and WWI 18" bayonets. We would chrome the bayonets and removed the firing pin from the rifle! It would then be ready for our use

Our ROTC supply sergeant had an Army friend who was stationed at Fort Knox. He told our ROTC detachment commander that his Army supply sergeant friend would be in the NY area and a pair of tickets to Camelot would "grease the skids". The tickets were provided and our drill team received 100 '03's at a nickle a piece! They were still packaged in canvas bags with the original cosmoline. The manufacturing dates were in 1939 and 1940. They had never made it into WWII action because the M-1 carbine replaced it! Our seargeant said that there were vast underground storage tunnels where these weapons had been stored and I'm sure there still packed with WWII weapons. Kinda like the storage facility depicted at the end of the film "Indian Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark!"

[steplock]

Don't need a scope with an M-14 with match sights for anything under 1000 meters!

Dang it - can't find my pictures at the Far Eastern Division Rifle Matches - I did get the Lloyd Trophy at the 1974 Matches! WITH an M-14!

[Hinoki Cypress]

Jeeeez, I'm 53 and don't remember those days. What planet was I living on?

[Plutarch]

Sgt. Shughart used an M-14 in Somalia.

Sergeant First Class Randall D. Shughart

Sergeant First Class Shughart, United States Army, distinguished himself by actions above and beyond the call of duty on 3 October 1993, while serving as a Sniper Team Member, United States Army Special Operations Command with Task Force Ranger in Mogadishu, Somalia.

Sergeant First Class Shughart provided precision sniper fires from the lead helicopter during an assault on a building and at two helicopter crash sites, while subjected to intense automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade fires. While providing critical suppressive fires at the second crash site, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader learned that ground forces were not immediately available to secure the site. Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader unhesitatingly volunteered to be inserted to protect the four critically wounded personnel, despite being well aware of the growing number of enemy personnel closing in on the site.

After their third request to be inserted, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader received permission to perform this volunteer mission. When debris and enemy ground fires at the site caused them to abort the first attempt, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader were inserted one hundred meters south of the crash site. Equipped with only his sniper rifle [an M-14] and a pistol, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader, while under intense small arms fire from the enemy, fought their way through a dense maze of shanties and shacks to reach the critically injured crew members.

Sergeant First Class Shughart pulled the pilot and the other crew members from the aircraft, establishing a perimeter which placed him and his fellow sniper in the most vulnerable position. Sergeant First Class Shughart used his long range rifle and side arm to kill an undetermined number of attackers while traveling the perimeter, protecting the downed crew.

Sergeant First Class Shughart continued his protective fire until he depleted his ammunition and was fatally wounded. His actions saved the pilot's life. Sergeant First Class Shughart's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest standards of military service and reflect great credit upon him, his unit and the United States Army.

[steplock]

I SIGNED the Petition!

http://www.petitiononline.com/M14CMP03/petition.html


.

[Taxman]

Petition signed bump.

I want one!

[Shooter 2.5]

Well, it helps.

Besides, the black at 800, 900 and a thousand is 44 inches across.

I used a Super Match M1A one time to try for a bowling pin at 325. I never did hit it but all my misses were the width of the pin according to my son. I was resting my elbows on a table, standing up and strapped into the sling. I had a five mile an hour wind that kept switching left and right. A lot of fun and some people stopped to see if I was ever going to hit it. 20 rounds and I think the bowling pin was still there a couple of months later.

If you're a Master, there's only one other person who has that rating on FR. I earned my Expert rating three years ago. I keep missing it by an average of five points.