Kalashnikov backs weapons control

[dws1117]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5116124.stm

Kalashnikov backs weapons control
The inventor of the infamous AK-47 assault rifle has backed stricter gun controls as a key small arms conference gets under way on Monday in New York.
Mikhail Kalashnikov said he backed UN moves to halt the illicit distribution of small arms.

The Control Arms campaign will hand a petition to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan at the start of the two-week Small Arms Review Conference.

The campaign's report says there are about 100m AK-47s and variants in use.

It calls for a new international treaty to apply "global principles" to the sale of arms.

'Poorly regulated'

In giving his backing to the Control Arms campaign, Mr Kalashnikov said: "When I watch TV and see small arms of the AK family in the hands of bandits, I keep asking myself: how did those people get hold of them?"


It is not the designers who must ultimately take responsibility for where guns end up - it is governments who must control their production and export
Mikhail Kalashnikov


The retired general, who invented the rifle in 1945, blamed a "lack of international control over arms sales" for allowing the weapons to fall into the hands of "aggressors, terrorists and all kinds of criminals".

The campaign's report, produced by Amnesty International, Oxfam International and the International Action Network on Small Arms said the AK-47 was the world's most poorly regulated small arms weapon.

It says 82 countries have them in their state arsenal and 14 nations manufacture them. The rifle fires 600 rounds a minute, is reliable and available for as little as $30 in some parts of Africa.

The campaign's petition has one million signatures from 160 countries - representing the number of people killed by guns since the last UN conference on small arms in 2001.


GUN FACTS
Eight million guns made every year
800,000 destroyed annually
25% of $4bn annual global small-arms trade is illicit
Guns used in 60-90% of direct-conflict deaths in 2003
6% of suicides and 40% of homicides involve guns
Source: UN Small Arms Review Conference

Its report says light arms are killing 1,000 people a day.

The "global principles" that the campaign proposes would be non-binding, but would allow governments to bring violators to account more easily.

The UK has made a similar proposal and has the backing in principle of the US and others.

But US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton made it clear Washington did not want to go beyond a programme adopted five years ago to curb the illicit sale of light weaponry.

"We don't see any need for treaties or agreements coming out of this," he said.


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/a ... 116124.stm

Published: 2006/06/26 08:35:41 GMT

© BBC MMVI

[JLaw]

Traitor.

How many lives to small arms save every day.

Too mad to say much else right now.

JLaw

[Diode]

It just keeps getting more silly everyday. Say by the way, how's that gun ban in England working out? I bet crime must be way down?

[Paladin]

The retired general, who invented the rifle in 1945, blamed a "lack of international control over arms sales" for allowing the weapons to fall into the hands of "aggressors, terrorists and all kinds of criminals".

As I recall, a whole lot of weapons(not just guns) were provided to "aggressors, terrorists and all kinds of criminals" by the communists. The same communists who were also busy disarming and slaughtering 100 million innocent people.

Thats several thousand people per day during the 20th century.

[Diode]

The retired general, who invented the rifle in 1945, blamed a "lack of international control over arms sales" for allowing the weapons to fall into the hands of "aggressors, terrorists and all kinds of criminals".

As I recall, a whole lot of weapons(not just guns) were provided to "aggressors, terrorists and all kinds of criminals" by the communists. The same communists who were also busy disarming and slaughtering 100 million innocent people.

Thats several thousand people per day during the 20th century.

Yup, I believe you correct..... also do they really think if all small weapons were vaporized off the planet tomorrow violent crime would stop? They better plan on collecting all rocks, clubs, knives..... I keep thinking all this is a smoke screen for some other agenda.....

[kw5kw]

It just keeps getting more silly everyday. Say by the way, how's that gun ban in England working out? I bet crime must be way down?

Yeah, that's what they say ?!?!?!?!?!?!

[cjlandry]

In his defense, Kalashnikov is an old man, and I'm sure he's sick of seeing nearly every bad guy around the world armed with an AK-47.

His loyalties were never to the Constitution of the United States of America. So we shouldn't expect him to be Pro RKBA. His loyalties were to the USSR and he designed his arms for the State, not for Free Men.

If Stoner or Garand had taken such a stand against the RKBA, we would be better justified in anger toward them.

[Charles L. Cotton]

In his defense, Kalashnikov is an old man, and I'm sure he's sick of seeing nearly every bad guy around the world armed with an AK-47.

His loyalties were never to the Constitution of the United States of America. So we shouldn't expect him to be Pro RKBA. His loyalties were to the USSR and he designed his arms for the State, not for Free Men.

If Stoner or Garand had taken such a stand against the RKBA, we would be better justified in anger toward them.

You make an excellent point. I don't like his position on this issue, but since he's the premier arms inventor for the "evil empire," I shouldn't expect much else.

Chas.

[dws1117]

In his defense, Kalashnikov is an old man, and I'm sure he's sick of seeing nearly every bad guy around the world armed with an AK-47.

His loyalties were never to the Constitution of the United States of America. So we shouldn't expect him to be Pro RKBA. His loyalties were to the USSR and he designed his arms for the State, not for Free Men.

If Stoner or Garand had taken such a stand against the RKBA, we would be better justified in anger toward them.

Like Charles said, good point.

I can also see where he may feel the way he does. His invention has become the international symbol of evil.

[DaveT]

His weapons sure killed a lot of our troops in 'Nam.

I'm torn on what he said. While I sure don't want excessive gun laws, I wouldn't mind seeing fewer AK's around.

Two things can send me back to 'Nam in a hurry: one is the sound of a chopper, and the other is the sight of an AK.

[cjlandry]

His weapons sure killed a lot of our troops in 'Nam.

I'm torn on what he said. While I sure don't want excessive gun laws, I wouldn't mind seeing fewer AK's around.

Two things can send me back to 'Nam in a hurry: one is the sound of a chopper, and the other is the sight of an AK.

Thanks for your service.

[Boma]

Thanks for serving Dave.

I have an AK and when older folks see it, I get paranoid and think they think I'm VC or something. I'm sure it's just me, but I get paranoid anyways. Proud to be an American.

[DaveT]

Thanks cjlandry, Boma. My service was a long time ago and best left in the archives of the mind.......

If you happen to meet one of the young men or women coming back from overseas today, be sure to thank them also. Depending on how we end things over there, they will be both proud and confused. A lot of support helps clear up that second part. If we pull out early, the confusion will be there in the form of internal questions like 'What did we accomplish", "why were we there", and "why did my friends die ?" If we stay the course and complete the job, there will be a lot of pride for a job well done.