When Mikhail Kalashnikov designed AK 47 rifle in 1947 little did he know that it would turnout to be the mother of all rifles. The weapon he designed to defend USSR would go on to become a part of revolutions and atrocities taking place around the globe. AK 47 has indeed played a major role in reshaping the political and social structures of several states & in fact AK 47 has secured itself a place on national flag of Mozambique. The purpose it was designed to defend, USSR, is long gone and more than 60 years after its birth AK 47 still serves with the same ferocity and it will keep serving for a very-very long time.
More than 100 million AK 47’s produced it is the most mass produced rifle in the world. It gained wide acceptance because of its simple design, compact size and adaptation to mass production. It is inexpensive to manufacture, easy to field strip and maintain and is well known for its ruggedness and reliability. AK 47’s are less accurate compared to other modern rifles but its lethality is undisputed. When compared to its rivals AK 47 fares very well in power & according to experts it is more suitable to term AK 47 a machine gun & not a rifle. AK 47 does not jam, break, and overheat no matter what state it’s in; one of the major reasons why the mujahedeen’s love it. Over million men in NWFP are armed with AK 47. For American’s it has turned out to be the bad guy’s gun. It was used by USA’s main and only rival USSR, AK 47’s made America bleed in the Vietnam War and Somalia. It has made the war on terror difficult for the NATO forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even in movies criminals and terrorist always carry an AK and never a M16 or a bullpup.
I wonder if Mikhail Kalashnikov feels sorry to see Kalashnikova used against innocent unarmed people. Does he feel guilty when he see’s atrocities committed around the globe using his invention? Does he feel sorry when small children are handed his rifle to unleash hell? I would not blame him for the cruelty unleashed by insane. Is he responsible for the trigger happy mind set? Of course not. Thug’s using AK 47’s (& other weapons) for their personal benefit under the name of country, religion or justice are responsible for its misuse.
One needs to remember a weapon is designed to protect yourself and your people, it is meant to defend your values and thinking in an armed conflict. It does not care who is right or wrong.
- Pritash Chaudry
1 comment:
When we saw Indian History in last approx. 2000 years, the we see clearly is that we were lacking in weaponary and war technique designing. Nice information about how single weapon invention changes the political map of the world. Glad to read this post.
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