On LEOs and Mini's:
About two years back I was discussing with a local deputy about his service on the Sheriff's "Rifle Team" These were not competitors but sort of a less than SWAT team. Appearently these guys secure the perimiter for the SWAT Team when it is to be used or back up other officers serving a warrent. At that time the detail was issued Mini-14 carbines. THe deputy was excited about the fact that they were supposed to be going to the AR 15. I discussed the fact that the AR TENDED to be mor accurate under the same conditions, but commented on the need for more and more difficult cleaning.
The Deputy announced that the Mini-14 was terribly hard to clean and, wait for it, The ARs need less cleaning and are easier to clean.
I tried to explain that neither was true but soon gave up for he had taken the party line hook line and sinker. Wonder if he still feels that way.
A couple of the Gun Magazines meantioned some time ago that after Waco and Ruby Ridge the FBI got serieous about reseaching long range police shootings.....and they found after those events, no, nada, zip Law Enforcement shootings from beyond 73 meters from any system from a fixed sighted .38 Special revovler to the most expensive and accurate "sniper rife."
That may have changed in the two or three years since that report, but I think it says something that for five or six years this was te greatest range police shot to serve and protect.
Just as some like to remind us that civilians would have a hard time justifying a shot at a human at such ranges, so will officer friendly. Too much can go wrong when shooting that far in an urban area.
I am more interested in how the LEOs are trained in Carbine use and the availabilty of training ammo and training areas than which carbine they purchase. Take two LEOs with little to no long gun experience and give one and AR15 and put him through some sort of garden variety shooting course shooting 60 to 120 rounds for both training and qualification in the first year and then give him 60 rounds a year for training and retrain himevery five to ten years. Take another and give him a Mini-14 and let him take one of the many gun school type three to five day carbine courses out there with 300 to 500 rounds in training and qaulification and the same lousy continuing education and training ammo.
Would you rather have the Mini or the AR in those conditions?
How many days of training does your state, county or city pay for? Cop is not on street if he is on the range or classroom. Will a more expensive rifle make a difference in how well someone depending on the government for their training and practice ammo performs?
How much time will your local agency pay for the LEOs to perform carbine maintenance?
Guess what? Appearences DO make a difference. If you show 90 percent of the citizenry a guy with a stock wood stocked Mini-14 and another with even a plainjane AR-15 (even yea olde SP-1) which will the citizens feel less threatend by. That is more likely to support council men and state legislatures in giving more money going to their departments. WHich officer will more people think approachable at a later date.
Police agencies choose whatever the folks with the purse strings approve in the long run.
A civilian may buy whatever blows their skirts up. Police are often restricted in what they may provide themselves either by department policy or by their low income.
-Bob Hollingsworth
