Russian Gun Designer Kalashnikove Urges Tough Control ...Small Arms Sales

[Gloria]

From the new World Media Watch up now at http://www.zianet.com/insightanalytical


5//MosNews.com, Russia Created: 29.06.2006 17:37 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 17:37 MSK

http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/06/29/kalashnikovurgescontrol.shtml



RUSSIAN GUN DESIGNER KALASHNIKOV URGES TOUGH CONTROL OVER SMALL ARMS SALES



The famous Russian gun designer Mikhail Kalashnikov has called for tougher control over the small arms turnover to rule out uncontrolled weapons sales, Interfax news agency reports.

“Tough procedure for registering and marking each weapon, and mutual recognition of such markings and information exchanges will help to rein counterfeit products sales. I believe that it is a realistic, efficient, and inexpensive approach to solving the problem,” Kalashnikov told participants of the UN conference on enforcing the program, aimed at curbing illegal turnover of small arms, which started in New York on June 26 and will last until July 7.

The Rosoboronexport press-service told Interfax-Military News Agency on Thursday that almost 100 million Kalashnkov assault rifles have been manufactured in the past 60 years.

“However, only a tenth of this figure accounts for legal arms, while the rest of such arms are unlicensed products,” Kalashnikov said.

The rifle designer stressed that the main cause for the rise of uncontrolled small arms sales lies on “unprincipled businessmen”, who produce counterfeit Kalashnikov machine guns, and merchants, who sell arms to anyone willing to buy it.

(SNIP)


According to him, the national control over small arms and specific measures aimed at toughening corresponding laws and regulations, are a must. “In addition to that, being a gun designer myself, I cannot but be outraged at the fact that my copyright is not enforced,” he said.

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[Retired AF Dem]

1. The only thing old Mikhail is pissed about

is not making any money on those unlicensed copycats.

[BrotherBuzz]

2. Mikhail never made a rubel on royalties from the AK47

Mr. Kalashnikov is still the state-controlled company's chief designer. He never made any money from royalties because his invention was never patented: "At that time, patenting was not an issue... we worked for socialist society, for the good of the people, which I never regret."

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=854842006

Go figure :shrug:

[nealmhughes]

3. Yes, he did it for the state during the war.

[BrotherBuzz]

4. Which war?

[onager]

5. Check out this documentary

Automatic Kalashnikov

It occasionally plays on Sundance, IFC and those other Commie cable networks. :-) Interesting "dual biography" of both the AK-47 and its designer.

At one point, Kalashnikov ponders the irony of three weapons designers: himself, American M-16 designer Eugene Stoner and Israeli Uzi el-Gal, designer of the Uzi. He says (or the translation says) that all 3 designed weapons intended for the defense of their countries. But in the end, all three ran into the Law Of Unintended Consequences, with their weapons being used for everything but national defense of the Motherland. Etc.

The movie was made in 2000, and ends with an Afghan rebel brandishing his AK-47. The Afghan thanks Mr. Kalashnikov for inventing such an excellent weapon, which helped him kick the Russians out of Afghanistan.

That Afghan is Northern Alliance leader Ahmad Shah Massoud, who was assassinated by Al-Queda on 9/9/2001.

http://indie.imdb.com/title/tt0254151/