The War on Slugs

For a time, M-Force largely ignored other types of monsters to focus on hunting the Slugs. No matter how much power or influence a Slug wielded in its human guise, M Forcers would hunt it down and blow it to pieces. M-Force's "seek and destroy" approach to fighting the slugs failed to take the organization's public image into account. A typical team would pinpoint a Slug, drive by in a van as the host went about its business, jump out, and open fire. They would then pull the writhing body back into the van for future dissection. M-Force did this in the name of the public good, but failed to realize that, in the eyes of the average citizen, they were randomly killing people on the streets. An attitude of fear and mistrust gathered around M-Force. M-Force destroyed the slug ruling council in 1969 and seemed near victory until two M-Forcers tracked down a Slug host and opened fire on it. . .only to discover that they had killed not a Slug, but an innocent human being. Nothing could hold back the firestorm of criticism that now descended on M-Force.

In 1970 the Senate began its official investigation into M-Force. Though M-Force immediately announced that its “War on Slugs” had ended, that concession was not enough. All M-Force activities were suspended by executive order. The mansion shut down. All staff members and full time operatives were sent home. All registered M-Forcers were forbidden to take part in monster hunting of any sort. The only thing left for M-Forcers to do was testify. Eventually Congress began deliberating on the Federal Monster Hunter Act. The details had not been determined, but everyone knew what the Act's end result would be: the permanent dissolution of M-Force, and laws forbidding organized monster hunting of any sort.   In 1971, five M-Forcers broke the law and engaged in monster hunting. In Pasadena, Texas, something had been preying on civilians in a black neighborhood. The local law enforcement agencies did little to halt these attacks. The M-Forcers started their own investigation, and tracked the monster into the sewers. The monster attacked, M-Force retaliated, and the battle burst up onto the streets. There the monster killed all but one of the M-Forcers. The surviving agent, Samuel Gundersen, managed to kill the last of the monsters minutes before the police arrived to arrest him. By engaging in monster hunting, he had disobeyed an executive order, and would now stand trial.   Sam Gundersen's trial quickly became a media circus. Dozens of witnesses had seen him risk his life to kill the monster, and people across the nation considered him a hero. The actions of Gundersen and the four dead agents seemed to prove that the country needed an organization like M-Force. Still, the agents had broken the law, and Gundersen was convicted and sentenced to prison. A tremendous outcry followed. A shift in the public perception of M-Force had occurred, practically overnight. Congress could not ignore this shift.

In 1972 Congress passed the Federal Monster Hunter Act. Instead of outlawing monster hunting altogether, though, FMHA-72 merely provided regulations that would allow M-Force to continue operating. One such regulation stipulated that monster hunters must clearly identify themselves while in the field. M-Force responded by requiring all agents to wear ID badges. In addition to these guidelines, the act gave M-Force, and other licensed monster hunting organizations, special privileges regarding the possession and employment of firearms.

After the passage of FMHA-72, M-Force regained the public's trust, but not until some changes were made. Director Mike Mulligan had become synonymous with M Force's unpopular hard hitting approach. To help the organization, Mike willingly resigned. Most high ranking personnel followed suit. To usher in the new era, G. Carlton Saunders was selected as the new Director.

Gunderson's slug hunt and trial were dramatized in the 1977 movie Gunderson, which starred Joe Don Baker as the titular monster hunter.