Kalashnikov RIP

[Ducimus]

Originally Posted by Red October1984

Sounds like fun...

I really love shooting AK's. They're great rifles on and off the battlefield IMHO.

You know, as much as a gun nut people here probably think I am now, I have never held a kalashnikov of any sort in my hands. I don't even think i've asked to see them at gun shops. Hell, I had a gold membership to a local range where I had access to check out rental's for free anytime i wanted as part of that membership , class 3 full auto AK's, and never bothered to check one out.

Originally Posted by Skybird

Kalashnikov himself had doubts about his life's work record when he became older. He was aware that his invention had become the killing tool of choice of terrorists, ruthless general in civil wars that sent child soldiers into battle, and today I read in Der Tagesspiegel that in a TV documentation from around the year 2000 he voiced worries about his fate in afterlife, fearing to suffer hellfire for what he had done. It seems he was a man of religious belief. And clearly he knew what the invention of the AK47 has meant and caused in the world.

Iconic the weapon is - but iconic for many sides and many users with questionable reputation. It seems as a man of higher age he did not get over his role in this "achievement".

I think i caught similar impressions elsewhere. Maybe in the 45 minute documentary i linked earlier, maybe elsewhere, i dunno, i watch/listen to a lot of documentaries. But on this subject, a quote by a fellow named Jeff Cooper comes to mind:

"The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles."