Kalashnikov Concern, producer of the famous AK-47 and other rifles, is having trouble dealing with U.S. sanctions. BBC

Kalashnikov Concern is having trouble finding buyers for its rifles. -BBC

The Russian company Kalashnikov Concern, maker of the famous AK-47 family of rifles, is having trouble finding buyers for its rifles due to U.S. sanctions. BBC. The company, which had secured a huge contract of 200,000 rifles for the United States, lost its chance to sell those rifles after President Obama imposed sanctions on it and seven other Russian companies. The sanctions are in response to the Russian governments actions in Ukraine. Losing the U.S. market was not the only problem as EU sanctions are harming efforts to modernize production at the Izhevsk plant. These problems are compounded as former Soviet Bloc nations are also producing AK weapons. Due to these concerns the firm is trying to secure a contract with the Russian government to supply the government with a new rifle, the AK-12. Still, the heads of the company are hoping that the sanctions are lifted soon. 

My Comment:

I'm hoping that Kalashnikov can survive. If for no other reason then for the great historical importance of the AK-47 family of rifles. The have been involved in dozens of major wars and have proven themselves to be one of the most ubiquitous rifles of the 20th and 21st centuries. Like the Mosin-Nagant before it, it's fought on both sides of practically every war in recent history. It's also an acceptable home defense weapon as well. In the great AR-15 vs AK-47 debate my answer was always... BOTH! Too bad I can't really afford either... 

As for the sanctions, I don't see them doing much to convince Putin to stop his adventure in Ukraine. He has some fairly serious strategic and tactical concerns in the nation and I doubt he will give it up to save Kalashnikov. If the choice is between an arms manufacturer and Russia's historical interest in keeping Ukraine in its sphere of control, Ukraine is going to win every time. He may very well choose Kalashnikov Concern's AK-12 as a new rifle for the Russian military, but that seems somewhat unlikely. From what I understand Russia still has thousands of AK-74's and doesn't really need a new rifle. 

Of course I think that gun control was a major factor in passing these sanctions in the first place. I won't say it was the only reason but at the very least the Obama administration considered the ban a great way to stop a particularly hated rifle from being sold. Even if it was a fringe benefit, from their perspective, it still is terrible. Thousands of Americans own AK rifles and thousands more want new ones but due to the sanctions they can't get them. But as long as both Obama and Putin are in office I don't see these sanctions going away. Even if U.S./Russian relations start to thaw there is almost no chance of Obama lifting these sanctions, just because he hates guns. Hopefully things will change in 2016 when he is out of office...