53
edits
Changes
no edit summary
The AK-47 has many variants. These include the [[RPK]], [[AKMS]], and [[AK-101]]. The Soviet Union used AK-47's until 1978, when they began upgrading to the [[AK-74]] line of weapons. The leftover AK-47's were sold to the highest bidder, many of which are still used in combat today.
The AK-47 has many variants. These include the [[RPK]], [[AKMS]], and [[AK-101]]. The Soviet Union used AK-47's until 1978, when they began upgrading to the [[AK-74]] line of weapons. The leftover AK-47's were sold to the highest bidder, many of which are still used in combat today.
==The AK-47 in the U.S. News Media==
Due to its relative popularity in the United States as a civilian sporting arm, semi-automatic variants of the AK have become part of the American cultural landscape. Unfortunately, negative examples of this include the portrayal of this rifle as part of the rap "thug" lifestyle, or usage by criminal gangs.
Due to the negative cultural associations this firearm has acquired amongst Americans unfamiliar with firearms, the news media often exploits the AK-47 meme for the purposes of sensationalism. If a crime is committed with a semi-automatic AK-47 variants (such as a Romanian WASR), the news media deliberately misleads the viewer into believing that a fully-automatic variant (which in reality costs $12,000 or more in the United States) was used in the crime. Further, the news media is quick to exploit any unclear descriptions of long-guns by assuming them to be an "AK-47 assault weapon", even when the firearm used was an unrelated SKS ('''Samozaryadanaya Karabina Simonova'''), a shotgun, or even a .22 caliber rifle. This sensationalism allows the media to draw parallels between petty crime and the violent images Americans see in Hollywood films and in carefully-edited news reports, causing a state of fear which can then be further exploited for profit or political agenda.
==External Links==
==External Links==