Kalashnikov AK-47 In Florida: World’s Most Common Assault Rifle To Be Manufactured In The Sunshine State

The Kalashnikov AK-47, the world’s most common assault rifle, will now be produced in Florida. The American arm of the Russian manufacturer is assumed to be taking advantage of the Sunshine State’s lenient gun laws to set up shop.

Kalashnikov USA has been approved by the city of Pompano Beach, Florida, to assemble guns there. While it may sound a bit strange, the assault rifles were already being manufactured on American soil. The gun maker’s previous factory was in Pennsylvania, but it is now being shifted to Florida. There is no confirmation about the quantities of the Kalashnikov rifles that will be produced, but the company has made a few changes to comply with the state’s prevalent gun laws.

Kalashnikov USA previously imported weapons from Kalashnikov Concern, the original AK-47 manufacturer in Moscow, reported UPI. However, the American arm actually started making the assault rifle in Tullytown, Pennsylvania, after President Obama imposed sanctions against Russia. The sanctions were imposed against the country by the United States after President Vladimir Putin’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Incidentally, until the sanctions, Kalashnikov USA was merely importing rifles made by Kalashnikov Concern. However, immediately after the sanctions were imposed, the American arm severed all ties with the Russian company and began manufacturing the assault rifles in Pennsylvania.

The plant churning out American-made Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifles was chugging along well, but the company intends to shift to Florida. Kalashnikov USA hasn’t said why they are moving or how big the Pompano Beach operation will be, reported CNN. However, reports indicate the company intends to take advantage of the rather favorable outlook about gun manufacturing. Despite being granted the license to make the assault rifle, the company hasn’t been granted the permission to sell the weapons it makes in Florida.

The company managed to secure a “light manufacturing” approval in July, 2015. Pompano Beach, which is the chosen location, is located on the Atlantic coast between Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale. The license clearly prohibits Kalashnikov USA from selling guns in Pompano Beach. Moreover, the company cannot make ammunition for the assault rifles, as well. Hence, whatever weapons the factory at Pompano Beach makes will be sold to retailers across the nation. Additionally, to ensure compliance with gun laws across the United States, the AK-47s manufactured in Florida will only accept magazines that can hold only 10 rounds.

A typical Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifle can usually accept a magazine that holds anywhere from 30 rounds, all the way up to 75 rounds. There are interesting combinations of magazines that effectively reduce the reload time and double the ammunition for a person carrying the weapon. The AK-47 is the world’s most common assault rifle, and is legendary for its dependability. Made from rather simple components, despite its rather elementary design, an AK-47 assault rifle can fire multiple rounds without locking or jamming up. Many weapons that had been lying in the dirt or mud, after the soldier carrying them had died, have been known to fire well.

According to RT, military and Special Forces in 106 countries around the globe prefer the Kalashnikov AK-47. The rifle has been acknowledged in the Guinness Book of Records as the most widely spread weapon in the world. There are over 100 million of these weapons in circulation today.

Apart from Florida, the Kalashnikov AK-47 has been licensed to be manufactured in over 30 other countries. China, Israel, India, Egypt, and Nigeria have large factories that make thousands of these weapons for distribution across the world. Kalashnikov USA has significantly improved upon the design and introduced modernized lines of rifles and shotguns last week at the SHOT Show in Las Vegas, the annual conference of the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

The Kalashnikov AK-47’s creator Mikhail Kalashnikov, who died in 2013, insisted that he created the weapon for protection, not death and destruction.

[Photo by Martin Bureau/Getty Images]