Mikhail Kalashnikov
Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2013 6:39 pm
I saw on Yahoo! News that Mikhail Kalashinkov, the designer of the AK-47, died Tuesday at age 94.
As I understand it, he originally wanted to design farm equipment. However, he turned his hand to designing weapons after he was wounded early in World War II (or, as the Russians call it, the Great Patriotic War). He saw the carnage caused by the automatic rifles the Germans had, and he wanted to build something like this for Soviet troops so they could fight back on equal terms.
The result, the AK-47, was introduced in 1947. It must be considered one of the greatest hand-held weapons of all time. It's easy to use and maintain, as well as being rugged and reliable. It can operate in all kinds of weather conditions. It's great for armed forces who want an effective weapon at low cost. It's also ideal for troops who have had only a minimal amount of training.
It's estimated there are currently 100 million AK-47s in use worldwide.
It would've been nice if this guy had been designing weapons for the West during the Cold War!
The story included an interesting quote from him. He said this to the Associated Press in 2007: "I sleep well. It's the politicians who are to blame for failing to to come to an agreement and resorting to violence."
Sadly, that last statement is very true.
I certainly hope we can create a world where there would be little use for Mr. Kalashnikov's rifles. That would be a fitting tribute to the man.
-Big Bad John
As I understand it, he originally wanted to design farm equipment. However, he turned his hand to designing weapons after he was wounded early in World War II (or, as the Russians call it, the Great Patriotic War). He saw the carnage caused by the automatic rifles the Germans had, and he wanted to build something like this for Soviet troops so they could fight back on equal terms.
The result, the AK-47, was introduced in 1947. It must be considered one of the greatest hand-held weapons of all time. It's easy to use and maintain, as well as being rugged and reliable. It can operate in all kinds of weather conditions. It's great for armed forces who want an effective weapon at low cost. It's also ideal for troops who have had only a minimal amount of training.
It's estimated there are currently 100 million AK-47s in use worldwide.
It would've been nice if this guy had been designing weapons for the West during the Cold War!
The story included an interesting quote from him. He said this to the Associated Press in 2007: "I sleep well. It's the politicians who are to blame for failing to to come to an agreement and resorting to violence."
Sadly, that last statement is very true.
I certainly hope we can create a world where there would be little use for Mr. Kalashnikov's rifles. That would be a fitting tribute to the man.
-Big Bad John