AK-47 Sanctions

"Of all the weapons in the vast Soviet arsenal, none was more profitable than the 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 nine 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 could use it--and they do. The Soviets put the gun on a coin. Mozambique put it on their flag. Since the end of the Cold War, the Kalashnikov has become the Russian people's greatest export. After that comes vodka, caviar, and suicidal novelists. One thing is for sure, no one was lining up to buy their cars."
--Yuri Orlov (Lord of War)

As part of a recent round of sanctions against Russia, the Obama Administration has banned US business contacts with Russian arms makers including those making AK-47s.

The AK-47 is the most popular assault rifle ever made. No one knows precisely how many have been made since volume production began in 1949, although the count is probably in the hundreds of millions.

The recent ban has sparked a run on AK-47s in the US. CNN's exclamation of 'surprise' is either disingenuous or naïve. Restrict supply below market and shortages will result. So will black markets.

Every time this administration restricts gun markets, the gun industry reaps a windfall.