Some other firearm options that you may want to consider, especially if you frequent areas controlled by anti-gun political regimes, are rifles like the Ruger Scout Rifle. It’s a bolt-action .308 with a 16″ barrel, laminated stock, 10rd detachable box magazine, superb iron sights & provisions to mount either a conventional or long-eye relief ‘scout’ scope. As far as I know it is legal pretty much everywhere in the U.S.. Ruger’s Mini series of rifles–the Mini-14 in .223/5.56 or 6.8SPC & the Mini-30 in 7.62x39mm Russian–are also good defensive choices that are far more ‘PC’ than the AR15 or especially the AKM! (Yes, I hate ‘political correctness’ as much as you do, but I hate being arrested by some jackass who doesn’t like my gun even worse!) Leave it in its original configuration. Adding a pistol grip or a collapsible/folding stock defeats the whole ‘PC’ purpose. If it has a wooden stock, that’s even better. (For some stupid reason wooden stocks are considered far less ‘evil’ than black plastic by hoplophobes.) Also, with a car gun, stainless steel is your friend. Stainless steel with a good protective coating, such as Ceracoat, is even better!

A Kel-tec Su-16 in .223/5.56–which uses standard AR15/M16 magazines–makes a good rifle for this purpose as well, and it folds in the middle making it even easier to slip into a daypack unnoticed. Kel-tec’s pistol caliber Sub-2000 series carbines, available in both 9mm & .40S&W, fold into a compact package that’s only 16’1″ long, are very lightweight, extremely reliable and can be had set-up to use either Glock, Beretta, S&W or Sig Sauer pistol magazines. (The Beretta & especially the Glock versions are by far the most common.) A Sub-2000, matching pistol, spare mags, light & good knife will easily fit into a small daypack or even a briefcase. I have a friend in Boise who keeps a locked briefcase set-up with these contents in his office at all times, along with a similarly stocked ‘Care Bears’ school backpack in his car. (Seriously, if YOU were trying to steal a gun, would you look in the pink ‘Care Bears’ backpack? Most thieves wouldn’t either. It’s very effective camouflage!)