The line infantryman carried a Ruger Mini-14 .223 Remington rifle. As in the early days of the United States Marine Corps, the squads were set up in four-man fire teams. One man in each fire team carried a Heckler and Koch Model 91 rifle in .308 caliber. These had been modified via a technique that the organization sold to "brother groups," converting the rifles to an illegal selective fire weapon (capable of firing either single shots or fully automatic). The Elite "A" Team had black clothing and some fairly sophisticated weapons, such as .22 caliber Ruger target pistols fitted with an integral silencer, and several MAC-10 submachineguns in both 9  mm and .45 ACP, also with attached suppressors. These men trained in the covert aspects of military action and were to be the core of the defense initiative.