Kalashnikov Moves to Florida – Made in the USA

By Faye Higbee

Posted January 28, 2016

Kalashnikov Moves to Florida – Made in the USA

Kalashnikov USA is the new name of the iconic Kalashnikov rifle that was banned from imports by Obama in 2014. The city of Pompano Beach, Florida will soon be home to an full-fledged assembly plant for the popular rifles.

Mikhail Kalashnikov, holds his popular rifle

“An iconic firearms platform, revered the world over, with a history of intrigue and controversy, now reborn as the new American Kalashnikov…Whether you are a sport shooter, hunter, protecting family, home and country, the new Kalashnikov USA firearms will exceed your expectations of how a firearm should perform.” Kalashnikov USA Press Release

In 2014, Obama banned the Russian AK-47 from the United States when Russia invaded Crimea. The company that imported them then, RWC, was forced to break ties with Russia, but kept the rights to the name. They opened a small rifle assembly plant in Tullytown, Pennsylvania. Now they’re going big and, as they put it, better.

Fox News wrote,

The company launched new rifle and shotgun models last week at the SHOT Show in Las Vegas, the annual conference of the National Shooting Sports Foundation. The new firearms include the “Alpha” line of rifles, with 30-round magazines.

While the company will offer various guns, the AK-47 will likely be a top seller. In the U.S. market, its main competition is the AR-15, but both are reliable weapons, said firearms instructor Steve Norris, who teaches at the Markham Park Target Range in nearby Sunrise.

AK = Avtomat Kalashnikov

The company will make smaller magazines for sale in states with restrictions on the size of magazines.

Every bad guy from terrorists to foreign troops have used the AK-47.  It is one of the most popular weapons in the world, and many people buy it just for the collectability.

Mikhail Kalashnikov was the Russian inventor of the weapon. A Tank Commander wounded in WWII, he lay in the hospital in 1941, where he is said to have come up with the design. The “AK” stands for “Avtomat Kalashnikov,” or “Kalashnikov’s machine.” Kalashnikov died in 2013.