AK-47 Factory Opening In Florida To Make Kalashnikov USA Rifles

AK-47 rifles will soon be manufactured in Florida. Kalashnikov USA was just recently granted approval by Pompano Beach officials to make the popular AK-47 Kalashnikov rifles in the Sunshine State. The company had previously been assembling and selling the Russian rifles in Tullytown, Pennsylvania.

Kalashnikov USA decided it was time to move south and make the AK-47 rifles themselves after President Barack Obama initiated sanctions against Russia and caused import issues with the Moscow manufacturer. The gun company cuts all ties with its Russian counterpart and started making the rifles in Pennsylvania in 2014.

Few details are yet known about the specific details of the AK-47 factory in Florida. The warehouse purchased by the company encompasses about 40,000 square feet, according to the Sun Sentinel. Kalashnikov announced the relocation to Pompano Beach at the SHOT Show, a mega gun expo, in Las Vegas last week. The National Shooting Sports hosts the annual weapons event in the city.

Kalashnikov USA revealed not only will the company be making an American version of the AK-47 Kalashnikov rifles but will also be manufacturing a new line of Alpha rifles and 30-round high-capacity magazines for the weapon, CNN reports. The “light manufacturing” permit granted by the Florida city may bring new jobs into the region. Pompano Beach is located along the Atlantic shoreline between Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton. The permit granted to the gun manufacturer does not allow for direct sales in the town or the making of ammunition.

The gun company also had to likely jump through some hurdles to garner the necessary AK-47 manufacturing license from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The extremely accurate and dependable rifle dates back to 1947 and the days of the old Soviet Union and Joseph Stalin. It was named after its designer, Mikhail Kalashnikov.

During the war in Afghanistan, a group of U.S. Marines captured a Taliban fighter who was armed with an AK-47 that was made in 1954 and still worked flawlessly. Many Americans have had World War II rifles passed down from their grandfathers, which continue to work as well, but the reliability of the Kalashnikov rifle is often touted as standing above all the rest when it comes to longevity.

For many years, AK-47 knockoffs have been sold around the world. Countries which were a part of the Soviet Union block nations and China made Kalashnikov-like AK rifles for decades. A rifle that is truly emblazoned with the Kalashnikov name and features is highly sought after by many gun enthusiasts. Prices for the weapons have reportedly increased since President Obama handed down sanctions on Russia. Both before and after levying the sanctions on Russia, the president stated that similar embargoes against Cuba and Iran did not work. It is unclear how long the sanctions against Russia will remain in place. The Kalashnikov USA AK-47 rifles are expected to retail around $725.

Because gun control laws that infuriate many Second Amendment advocates prevent firearms owners in some states from possessing 30-round magazines, Kalashnikov USA is also making 10-round magazines for use with its AK-47s. Connecticut, Colorado, and New York are among the states that have bans on high-capacity magazines. The gun control laws were crafted based upon the theory that less carnage would occur if a killer armed with a rifle could only load 10 rounds or less into the firearm. Many supporters of the law believed that the time it took to change a magazine would allow a police officer, or perhaps even a citizen, the ability to take down the shooter.

A county sheriff made a high-capacity rounds video to illustrate the flaws in the theory put forth by the gun control supporters of magazine ban laws.

What do you think about the AK-47 factory opening in Florida?

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