The Ruger Mini 14

There I was, doing a little Googling, when I came across a certain Mr. Marc Lépine[wiki]. Marc is famous for killing 14 people in a Canadian university in 1989. What piqued my interest was his choice of weapon: a Sturm, Ruger Mini 14[wiki]. I am familiar with this firearm, as it is the very same weapon used by Anders Breivik during his notorious Utøya massacre.

Thinking I was onto to something (as opposed to just being "on something") I searched around for other incidents involving the rifle. I found a few less famous incidents, such as the killing of two FBI agents in 1986[wiki], but nothing of similar magnitude of the two already mentioned.

I then investigated any similarities between the two characters. Both described themselves as being "anti-feminist". Indeed, the reason behind Lépine's killings was directly because of his hatred of feminism, stating in his suicide letter that feminists had ruined his life. Breivik on the other-hand, blames feminism for the ruination of traditional European culture and society.

Finally, I delved into culture and community surrounding the Mini 14. I read many reports and reviews, from owners and users of the gun. Most seem to suggest that the gun is a bit of a junker, lacking in build quality and accuracy. Breivik's own thoughts on the weapon:

I have now sent an application for a Ruger Mini 14 semi-automatic rifle (5.56). It is the most “army like” rifle allowed in Norway, although it is considered a “poor man’s” AR-15.[pastebin]

There is a mention of the gun in "Cradle to the Grave", a song by 2PAC:

I'm bustin' on these mother fuckers ballin'
Listen you can hear my mini 14 callin'.[youtube]

I also came across something known as the "Mini 14 Law", a somewhat obscure term:

The Mini 14 Law states that: Whoever, in the course of making a pro gun-control point, mentions the Ruger Mini 14, has proved he/she is fundamentally ignorant and the discussion is over.[dictionaryslang]

The "Mini 14 Law" definition also makes use of an alledged quote by controversial anti-gun lobbiest, Wendy Cukier:

Every day women are being killed by deadly weapons such as the Ruger Mini 14...

Even though it may seem like it, I didn't intend this blog post to come across as an anti-gun blog post. It must be pointed out that the Sturm, Ruger Mini 14 has been in production for 40 years and there must be thousands of legally held units all across the Americas alone, owned and operated without incident. And before you make up your mind about the gun, I feel it only right to inform you of another group of people who regularly made use of the weapon... The A-Team![myateamvan.com]