Jeff reports that Mikhail Kalashnikov has expressed some regrets about designing the AK-47:

“Whenever I look at TV and I see the weapon I invented to defend my motherland in the hands of these bin Ladens I ask myself the same question: How did it get into their hands?” the 86-year-old Russian gun maker said.

“I didn’t put it in the hands of bandits and terrorists and it’s not my fault that it has mushroomed uncontrollably across the globe. Can I be blamed that they consider it the most reliable weapon?” he said.

It gets into their hands the way they always do. If you had not built an AK, they’d be using another weapon. More:

The question is especially acute as an 11-day U.N. conference on curbing the small-arms trade convenes June 26 in New York. Kalashnikov is thinking of sending the delegates a statement.

Not sure what that statement would be but, from the article referenced, comes:

Kalashnikov said Amnesty International and Oxfam, the British charity, have asked him to write a statement for their campaign against small-arms proliferation, and he is also thinking of sending a separate statement addressed to the U.N conference.

So, Kalashnikov is getting anti-gun in his old years?

Update: The Scotsman has a different take:

I designed AK-47s to defend USSR – it’s not my fault terrorists use them

Posted in uncategorized on June 12th, 2006 by SayUncle | RSS 2.0 |