Kalashnikov cranking up AK-47 factory in Florida

[FLPanhandle]

http://money.cnn.com/2016/01/27/news/companies/kalashnikov-florida-factory/index.html?iid=surge-story-summary

The famous Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifles have been made in frigid Moscow since their inception 69 years ago. Soon, they'll be made in sunny Florida, too.

Kalashnikov USA has been approved by the city of Pompano Beach to assemble guns there.

Kalashnikov USA of Tullytown, Pa., was importing rifles made by Kalashnikov Concern, the original AK-47 manufacturer in Moscow, until 2014 when President Obama imposed sanctions against Russia following its annexation of Crimea. At that point, Kalashnikov USA severed all ties with the Russian company.

The company started making the guns in Pennsylvania last year, but is shifting manufacturing to Florida. Kalashnikov hasn't said why they are moving or how big the Pompano Beach operation will be.

Kalashnikov USA has recast itself as an American manufacturer of Kalashnikov-brand guns. It launched new lines of rifles and shotguns last week at the SHOT Show in Las Vegas, the annual conference of the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

This included its new Alpha line of rifles with high capacity magazines holding 30 rounds.

The company obtained "light manufacturing" approval in July 2015 from Pompano Beach, which is located on the Atlantic coast between Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale.

The company also has licenses from Pompano Beach and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to import, but the licenses don't specify what it would be importing, or from where.
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As if Florida isn't already crazy enough!

[GGJohn]

1. Ok, and this is a problem...why?

[Matrosov]

6. Do we really need this?

It was bad enough that Arsenal from Bulgaria opened a factory here (I think in Las Vegas), now the creators of the definitive assault rifle - Kalashnikov/Izmash - are going to open a factory here? We need less of this, not more.

Maybe if the latest news was that Bushmaster was moving its operations to a country abroad, I'd be happier.

[Waldorf]

9. Do we need this? Sure, since sanctions cut off the imporation of them. One must remember these

are semi-automatic rifles, to the automatic assault rifles of lore.

[NaturalHigh]

2. I'm cool with that.

Lots of new jobs.

[linuxman]

3. Good. Americans already buy them. Now they'll buy them from Americans.

In before the pearl clutchers.

[Angel Martin]

12. and they keep telling us

that protectionism won't work !

[ryan_cats]

4. I wonder

I wonder if this will improve quality as they are really cr*ppily made, at least the one's I've seen and shot.

[Waldorf]

10. They aren't crappily made, just that their tolerances are pretty lose compared to other rifles.

which is one reason they are so reliable and will keep functioning when they are extremely dirty.

[NV Whino]

5. The only problem I see is the 30 round magazines

The weapons are already being made in the U.S. They're just moving to warmer climes.

[Codeine]

7. American manufacturing jobs.

I fail to see the problem.

[hollowdweller]

8. Can a normal person own one in Russia?

I have no problem with importing collectible guns from other countries.

However I do have a problem with other countries who have strict gun control importing guns to the US.

In that way if the production is in the US it makes more sense.

[Volaris]

11. Florida should be manufacturing sola...

Oh fuck it. This is why I'm voting for Sanders in the Primary, and whoever is the Party Nominee in the General.