Thanks to modern movies, television shows and, most notably, video games, the AK-47 is arguably one of the most famous—or infamous—firearms ever made. The AK-47 was probably best summed up in the 2005 Nicholas Cage film Lord of War, where, in the opening sequence, Cage’s character, Yuri Orlov, offers the following monologue:
“Of all the weapons in the vast Soviet arsenal, nothing was more profitable than Avtomat Kalashnikova model of 1947, more commonly known as the AK-47, or Kalashnikov. It’s the world’s most popular assault rifle, a weapon all fighters love. An elegantly simple 9-pound amalgamation of forged steel and plywood, it doesn’t break, jam or overheat. It’ll shoot whether it’s covered in mud or filled with sand. It’s so easy even a child can use it, and they do.”…
