Note: In the world market, AK's go for a whole lot less.
Time to show us the guns? "Mexican authorities seized 40,469
pistols and 55,269 "long firearms" between Dec 1, 2006 — when
President Felipe Calderón took office — and Dec. 23, 2010 "
Weapon of Choice: The AK-47's price, reliability garner fans on both
sides of the law
Comments 10
September 13, 2011 9:05 AM
Ildefonso Ortiz
The Monitor
http://www.themonitor.com/articles/reliability-54703-law-weapon.html
The AK-47 assault rifle has gained a bad reputation in recent years
as the weapon of choice of the Mexican cartels.
But while law enforcement officials and weapons experts agree that
the nearly 65-year-old Avtomat Kalashnikova is popular for its
reliability, accuracy and price, those very traits are what make it
so appealing to criminal organizations, Mexican officials say.
"It has a simple design that is easy to maintain, and it is easy to
operate," said Luis Morales, general manager at RDS, an upscale
firearms store that specializes in tactical equipment. "The
ammunition for it is very cheap, and it is easy to find magazines and
other accessories for it."
Mikhail Kalashnikov began designing the AK-47 model in 1945. It was
finished in 1947 and put to work by the Russian army in 1949. The
weapon quickly caught on with militaries worldwide, and it became a
popular sporting rifle soon after.
Today, there are more than 100 million AK-47s out there, Morales said.
While an AK-47 retails in the $600 to $800 range, with some models
reaching more than $1,000, some knock-offs can be found for about $430.
WEAPON OF CHOICE
A former Zeta, who left the drug cartel in 2006, told Valley Freedom
Newspapers earlier this year that the AK-47 was one of his favorite
weapons because of the minimal maintenance it requires. The AK-47 he
described was a fully automatic rifle, meaning that multiple shots
were fired each time he squeezed the trigger. A semi-automatic rifle,
on the other hand, fires one shot each time the trigger is pulled.
Members of organized crime — including the Gulf Cartel and the Zetas
— typically carry the AK-47, a Tamaulipas law enforcement official said.
Mexican authorities seized 40,469 pistols and 55,269 "long firearms"
between Dec 1, 2006 — when President Felipe Calderón took office —
and Dec. 23, 2010 — the most recent date for which figures were
statistics, according to information released by the Mexican
military. A former Mexican naval officer said he wouldn't be
surprised if more than half of those "long firearms" were AK-47s.
They certainly make the news often enough:
>> Last year, Tamaulipas police arrested three Zetas in Matamoros in
connection with the shooting of two police officers. Also seized in
the arrest were three AK-47s.
>> Last week, the Mexican military seized 24 of the Soviet-designed
rifles hidden inside a cave in the town of Anzaldua, near Reynosa.
>> And after Brownsville native and U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement Special Agent Jaime Zapata was killed in February by
Zetas in the northern Mexican state of San Luis Potosi, casings
recovered from the scene revealed that the murder weapon was an AK-47.
GUN LAWS
Unlike the United States, Mexico largely restricts possession of
firearms to members of law enforcement and the military. Civilians
can purchase and own certain small-caliber pistols and sporting
rifles, but the restrictions are lengthy.
In the Unites States, law-abiding citizens may purchase semiautomatic
rifles — like AK-47s — if they meet certain criteria.
Those looking to purchase a rifle must be 18 or older, present
certain documentation and pass a background check through the FBI's
National Instant Criminal Background Check System, Morales said.
Those looking to purchase an automatic firearm must go through a
strict, three-month process that includes a lengthy background check
in addition to the regular background check done when purchasing a
firearm, he said.
People with felonies or assault violations are not eligible to
purchase a firearm, Morales said.
The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, which is
tasked with enforcing firearm laws is familiar with
AK-47s.Individuals who are not eligible to purchase a firearm will
try to get one through a "straw purchase" by having eligible
customers do the buying for them, agency spokeswoman Franceska Perot
said.
While the agency didn't have specific data singling out the weapon by
model, the ATF lists the AK-47 as one of the weapons targeted by its
"Project Gunrunner," which sought to reduce cross-border arms
trafficking, Perot said. The only other rifle listed in the project
is the AR-15 assault rifle.
Although the AK-47 is associated with Mexican cartels, it's also a
reliable weapon for law-abiding citizens for use in hunting, target
practice and home defense, Morales said.
Morales himself has had an AK-47 for more than 16 years, and it's
still in optimum condition.
"The caliber is great for hunting," he said. "This is a weapon that
you can put through anything and it will continue to fire."
--
Ildefonso Ortiz covers law enforcement and general assignments for
The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4437.
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