60 Years Young and Still Going “Strong”

AK-47 100 Series Picture: Guns.ru
August 13, besides being the anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley (8.13.1977) marked another “milestone”; that being the date when the first AK-47 Assault Rifles, more popularly known as “Kalashnikovs” first went into use among Warsaw Pact forces in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Based on the German MP 43 7.91 mm Assault Rifle, which came out in mid 1943, the Russian redesigned version became so popular that it is still the most widely used assault weapon in use in the world today.

The “Kalash” is still in use not only in Russia and China. It is the preferred weapon of choice in Africa, the Middle East, and most of Asia, outside of countries receiving their armaments from countries such as Great Britain and the USA.

A virtual indestructible weapon, the AK-47 fires a 7.62 mm short cartridge at a cyclic rate of 600 rounds per minute from 30 shot, curved “banana” magazines; and at a velocity of 2,329 feet per second. Although slower than the standard 7.62 NATO round and the US developed 5.56 mm M-16 cartridge, it is still deadly within its range of up to 300 meters. From the Frozen Artic wastes to burning deserts and steaming jungles, the AK-47 can be dragged through mud, snow, and sandy terrain and still function almost without a hitch.

Photos of famous revolutionaries such as Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, and arch terrorists like Usama bin Ladin holding and firing this weapon have only added to its mystique. During the Vietnam War, many American GI’s began using AK-47s that had been taken from fallen Viet Kong and North Vietnamese soldiers simply because the gun functioned so well, as compared to the M-16 which jammed frequently in the adverse jungle conditions of South East Asia.

In the Middle East, this weapon is currently in use by the forces of Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Iraq, and Iran. Most Islamic terror groups, including Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, and various Islamic Brotherhood and Jihad groups all swear by this weapon. Even certain elite Israeli groups, such as Sayeret Yami (Sea Commandos) and others occasionally use this weapon when involved in covert operations on enemy territory where availability of enemy ammunition warrants its use. Since the 1956 Sinai Campaign, it is the weapon responsible for the most deaths of Israeli soldiers on the battlefield, and in military operations against terrorist and Palestinian fighters.

Surprisingly enough, the man for whom this famous rifle bears his name, Mikhail Kalashnikov, is still alive in Russia. Well into his 80’s, he never received financial rewards for his achievements, but still proudly displays his many medals and other ceremonial awards he has received for his contributions to Mother Russia.

Kalashnikov’s “contributions” have resulted in the deaths of literally millions of people, however, from wars and other conflicts all over the world. The photos of young boys using this weapon in conflict countries like Rwanda, Angola, Sierra Leon, the Congo, Somalia, Sudan and other places, not to mention locations closer to home, such as Gaza and Beirut, only bring to light the sad reality of this weapon’s role in maintaining the mechanisms of war.

Perhaps, Col. Kalashnikov might have done better in designing a musical instrument or some kind of farming implement instead of what has truly turned into a weapon of mass destruction, perhaps no less deadly than a nuclear bomb. For as it is written in the Biblical Book of Isaiah: “And they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they learn war anymore.”

Isn’t this a better idea than what has transpired since your “creation” hit the streets, Col. Kalashnikov?

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