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Father of AK-47 yawns at 80th birthday
Josey1
Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
Father of AK-47 yawns at 80th birthday
November 10 1999 at 03:17PM
Moscow - Mikhail Kalashnikov, whose eponymous automatic rifle has been the weapon of choice in a half-century of wars from Afghanistan to Zaire, celebrated his 80th birthday on Wednesday - and said he was sick of anniversaries.
The past year has also seen the 50th anniversary of his rifle's adoption by the Soviet military, a fanfare marking 50 years of arms building in Udmurtia and a series of other events.
President Boris Yeltsin sent a telegram on Wednesday congratulating Kalashnikov on his birthday and praising him for "continuing the legendary tradition of Russian arms makers."
But in an interview with the daily Moskovsky Komsomolets, Kalashnikov said he was tired of the celebrations.
"Nothing but anniversaries," he said. "I am tired of all these holidays."
Kalashnikov assault rifles, known worldwide by the their Russian acronym of AK, are now made throughout the world.
The cheap, reliable weapon is a favourite of guerrillas and gangsters, as well as staple of two of earth's three largest armies. The original AK-47 is the most famous of many models.
Itar-Tass news agency said the Russian arms industry earned substantial revenues from building complete AK factories abroad.
Kalashnikov receives no royalties from his invention - but holds the rank of general and the status of a national hero, especially in his home town of Izhevsk, capital of the arms-producing Udmurtia semi-autonomous ethnic province, 1 000km east of Moscow.
A huge Kalashnikov museum, a few blocks from his apartment, has been under construction for years. - Reuters
http://forums.gunbroker.com/post.asp?method=Topic&FORUM_ID=4&CAT_ID=1&Forum_Title=General+Discussion
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
November 10 1999 at 03:17PM
Moscow - Mikhail Kalashnikov, whose eponymous automatic rifle has been the weapon of choice in a half-century of wars from Afghanistan to Zaire, celebrated his 80th birthday on Wednesday - and said he was sick of anniversaries.
The past year has also seen the 50th anniversary of his rifle's adoption by the Soviet military, a fanfare marking 50 years of arms building in Udmurtia and a series of other events.
President Boris Yeltsin sent a telegram on Wednesday congratulating Kalashnikov on his birthday and praising him for "continuing the legendary tradition of Russian arms makers."
But in an interview with the daily Moskovsky Komsomolets, Kalashnikov said he was tired of the celebrations.
"Nothing but anniversaries," he said. "I am tired of all these holidays."
Kalashnikov assault rifles, known worldwide by the their Russian acronym of AK, are now made throughout the world.
The cheap, reliable weapon is a favourite of guerrillas and gangsters, as well as staple of two of earth's three largest armies. The original AK-47 is the most famous of many models.
Itar-Tass news agency said the Russian arms industry earned substantial revenues from building complete AK factories abroad.
Kalashnikov receives no royalties from his invention - but holds the rank of general and the status of a national hero, especially in his home town of Izhevsk, capital of the arms-producing Udmurtia semi-autonomous ethnic province, 1 000km east of Moscow.
A huge Kalashnikov museum, a few blocks from his apartment, has been under construction for years. - Reuters
http://forums.gunbroker.com/post.asp?method=Topic&FORUM_ID=4&CAT_ID=1&Forum_Title=General+Discussion
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
Comments
The cheap, reliable weapon is a favourite of guerrillas and gangsters
I've never heard of a gangbanger doing a drive-by with an AK-47. I've never heard of a Muslim terrorist hijacking an airliner with an AK-47. I've also never heard of an abusive husband shooting his wife with an AK-47, nor a deranged child shooting up his school with one.
So why is it again that it's the most universally hated weapon in the country? The one that seems to be the gold standard reminder that "Guns are Evil".
Jennings', Brycos, Lorcins, Ravens, Rugers, Smith and Wessons, Colts, Savages and Remingtons kill thousands in this country every year. I've yet to read any statistics on the AK-47.