Chavez to Build Kalashnikov Rifle Factory in Venezuela

[sjl127]

I'm surprised I haven't heard of this - have you?

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,199982,00.html

Chavez to Build Kalashnikov Rifle Factory in Venezuela

Monday , June 19, 2006

AP

CARACAS, Venezuela —
President Hugo Chavez's plans to build the first Kalashnikov factory in the Western Hemisphere are sowing fears Venezuela could start arming leftist Latin American allies with the fabled Russian assault rifles.

Chavez denies such ambitions, saying his government bought 100,000 Russian-made AK-103 assault rifles and a license from Moscow to make Kalashnikovs and ammunition, to defend the nation against "the most powerful empire in history" — the United States. More...

[sjl127]

Keep funding them through Citgo and Petro.

[MarcS]

fuck it, if they want to sell some cheap AK's up here, I'll fund them directly.

[Eugene V. Debs]

Well, I guess the Venezuelan gov't, unlike ours, doesn't want to depend on a foreign manufacturer to equip their troops with their standard service rifle.

The re-equipping is overdue-- most of the military is still using FALs purchased in the 70s and 80s.

[Thekatar]

I had heard this a while back. While the AK-103 is the latest and greatest version of the AK-47 assault rifle, it hardly represents any type of new threat to our national security.

FWIW, many of the recent 7.62x39mm Saiga sporter rifles imported that had the magazine dimples were rumored to be overrun of Venezuelian purchases before they built the factory...

[Eugene V. Debs]

I had heard this a while back. While the AK-103 is the latest and greatest version of the AK-47 assault rifle, it hardly represents any type of new threat to our national security.

No shit. And if he arms leftist allies with it, so what? Who gave our government the sole and exclusive right to arm allies in Latin America? Is gun control okay now as long as its being imposed on political enemies abroad?

[OneLungMcClung]

I'm not worried. Our GBU-10 beats his AK-103 anytime.



And our Air Force can kick his Air Force's ass

[Jackal]

FWIW, many of the recent 7.62x39mm Saiga sporter rifles imported that had the magazine dimples were rumored to be overrun of Venezuelian purchases before they built the factory...

With the y stamp?

[knight0334]

Chavez has to be a serious dumbass if he thinks all those AK's would help him if we really got a bug up our butts and did something with him.

[OneLungMcClung]

Chavez has to be a serious dumbass if he thinks all those AK's would help him if we really got a bug up our butts and did something with him.

Indeed. Chavez is all talk; he's all about Chavez, not Venezuela.

On top of which, he needs us to buy his oil.

He'll get a visit from us when he tries to stop that.