It may seem strange to wish that the creator of the AK-47, one of the most abundant of all firearms in the world, rest in peace but it is what I wish for him. Yes, he created weapons that probably have killed hundreds of thousands if not millions but all in the name of defending the USSR and her people. After all, as Kalashnikov himself has been quoted, the AK-47 was not an offensive weapon, nor one made for use by criminals, it was a defensive firearm. As quoted by the NY Times:
"The weapon, he said, was designed to protect his motherland, not to be used by terrorists or thugs.“This is a weapon of defense,” he said. “It is not a weapon for offense.” (source).
Today's American politicians should take heed of that; and thus my using the NY Slimes Times article as my source. Normally I would not quote the NY Times but it seemed ever so sweet that a liberal rag like it would quote the creator of one of the world's most popular rifles, if not the most popular, when he said that an AK-47 is defensive weapon not an offensive one (thus not an assault weapon). Yet, jerks with no practical firearms experience classify them as assault weapons. You know whom I mean, anti-gun politicians whom the NY Times almost always supports: President Barack Obama, Senator Harry Reid, Representative Nancy Pelosi, NY Governor Andrew Cuomo, and NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg. They are all folks who claim the semi-automatic versions of the AK-47 are assault rifles even though the creator of that rifle calls the fully automatic version a defensive weapon.
Well, anyway, back to Kalashnikov. He was an important man in worldwide events, a great inventor and a worthy opponent in the scheme of things. He lived a long and productive life. I wish him an eternity of peace in the knowledge that he gave many of us the ability to afford to be able to effectively defend ourselves from thugs, criminals and tyrants and gave us one heck of an excellent, inexpensive and fun rifle in having done so!
All the best,
Glenn B
Have you finished your Christmas shopping? Not me! There is nothing quite like the thrill of waiting until the last few moments to get your Christmas shopping done. Running and diving for that "exactly right" Christmas gift, that just happens to be the last one on the shelves, is an adventure not to be taken lightly. It requires courage, agility, speed, patience, abilities to procrastinate far beyond those of mere mortal men and true Christmas spirit!
My nerve endings are tingling in anticipation of the madhouses I am going to visit tonight and tomorrow as I do my last minute Christmas shopping. Will I get it all done? I am certain to do so but assuredly not until closing time at the last store I visit tomorrow and that is likely to be the last store that will be open in my area. The anticipation is killing me (or maybe some other holiday shopper reaching for the same last minute gift, and last available one at that, will do that for me).
You would think that by my age (which remains a secret but it is pretty old) I would have learned to get my Christmas shopping finished by October but then where would be the excitement in that!
All the best,
Glenn B
It may seem strange to wish that the creator of the AK-47, one of the most abundant of all firearms in the world, rest in peace but it is what I wish for him. Yes, he created weapons that probably have killed hundreds of thousands if not millions but all in the name of defending the USSR and her people. After all, as Kalashnikov himself has been quoted, the AK-47 was not an offensive weapon, nor one made for use by criminals, it was a defensive firearm. As quoted by the NY Times: 
