The AK-47 Submachine Gun

The AK-47 (Автомат Калашникова образца 1947 года, Avtomat Kalashnikova 1947; English: Kalashnikov's assault rifle, model of the year 1947) is a gas-operated assault rifle that was used in many Eastern bloc nations during the Cold War. Adopted & standardized in 1947, it was designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov & produced by Russian manufacturer Izhevsk Mechanical Works. Compared with the auto-loading rifles used in World War II, the AK-47 was generally more compact, with a shorter range, a smaller 7.62 × 39 mm cartridge, & was capable of selective fire. It was one of the first true assault rifles and remains the most widely used and known. More AK-47 rifles have been produced than any other assault rifle; production continues to this day.

Mikhail Kalashnikov began imagining his weapon while still in the hospital, after being wounded in the Battle of Bryansk. He had been informed that a new weapon was required for the 7.62 x 41mm cartridge developed by Elisarov and Semin in 1943. The genius in the design of the Kalashnikov rifle is in the simplification of those contributing designs & adaptation to mass production. The AK-47 can be seen as a fusion of the best that the M1 Garand offered combined with the best aspects of the StG44 made by the best processes was in the recombination of known elements into a compact, reliable & durable package.

Throughout the world, the AK-47 is among the plethora of commonly smuggled small arms that are sold to governments, rebels, criminals & civilians alike, with little international oversight. This trade ensures a ready supply of inexpensive weapons to a number of conflicts, including the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan, & Somalia. In some countries that are recovering from war or that are at war, prices for AKs are very low, between $30–$125. After the Soviet retreat from Afghanistan, the Soviet Army left huge bulks of weapons including AK-47s which were used in its civil war between Taliban and Northern Alliance. Now, it is used a lot by tribes in Africa.

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During the Cold War, the Soviet Union, Communist China & the US supplied arms & technical knowledge to numerous client-state countries & rebel forces to promote their interests. This period saw the proliferation, sometimes free of charge, of AK-47s by the Soviet Union & Communist China to pro-communist countries and groups such as the Nicaraguan Sandinistas and Vietcong. The AK-47 design was spread to a total of 55 national armies.

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In the U.S., movie makers often arm criminals, gang members and terrorist characters with AK-47s. However, not all influences of the AK-47 have been violent. In 2006, Colombian musician & peace activist César López devised the escopetarra, an AK-47 converted into a guitar. One sold for US$17,000 in a fundraiser held to benefit the victims of anti-personnel mines, while another was exhibited at the United Nations' Conference on Disarmament.

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(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)