[Ls1]

I really have to wonder sometimes if any of you out in preparedness land have ever thought about the ideological issues having an AK-47 and variants could present to you and your family. It generally has been a symbol of terrorism and oppression in this country and much of the west. Has anyone ever considered that in a world where you might be fighting for survival only in the short term, or against an oppressive regime of some sort (not even a government per se) how the public and or law enforcement/government might view someone with a large stockpile of ammunition and AK-47's. It is possible that through propaganda you could be made out to look more like an extremist or terrorist group (whether or not that is the subjective/objective truth). The Ak is instantly recognizable to almost everyone. The sks not so much...but still, it's a "commie" weapon.

Now, not arguing over which is the better battle rifle etc ,but I wonder if having an Ar-15 or variant would be better accepted ,or in some ways less threatening. The same implies for M1A, Garand, Socom 16, etc.


I'm kind of just wondering how many of you have thought the ideological concerns about your firearms through? Does it not matter to you? Is is all too speculative?

 

[concernedenglish]

you make a very good point
coming from the UK i dont have to worry about this but ill give my 2 cents :

It all depends on what the situation is tbh, if you are with only your family either bugging in or on the move, i doubt even the US government would go into making propanganda about you and your loved ones and it would be perfectly acceptable to have an AK in your group.
But if you are in a group of lets say 20 people, all men, all armed with "commie" guns and your holding up in some kind of compound, or are doing roving attacks on a corrupt Governments supply lines or Civilians and you presented a problem they probaly would use that against you a bit, even if the propaganda is just at a local level

So IMO i would choose an american gun for a "red dawn" type scenario and an AK otherwise if i was worried about the negative publicity

but tbh if i was in america it would be the AK all the way for any situation :thumb:

 

[Wolfe]

The AK47 isn't a really a politically correct rifle, but then again, shtf isn't a time for political correctness (just like any other time, imo).

So buy the rifle that will serve you best, and don't worry about what other people think. And when you resist an oppressive regime, you will be called a terrorist anyway, doesn't make a diffirence if you use an AK or any other rifle.

 

[skifast]

Remove the wood furniture and replace it with black. Most people will have no idea what type of gun it is.

That being said, I do not think an old fat white guy like me will be mistaken for a terrorist.

 

[Andrew1985]

I try very hard not to give a s h i t what most people think. I know the truth about it my family knows and my friends know. And in the end thats all the really matters.

Ive always thought that if you live your life always caring, wonderin, and worring about what other people think and say about you. Your prob not going to live long or live a very nice life living life.

I figure if its legal then theres no reason to feel bad,wrong, and or ashamed.

 

[JRNC26]

The Media has beat it into most ingnorant suburbanites heads that The AK-47 is the devil.And it will come in the middle of the night and kill you.But,This might work to your advantage.When TSHTF if they see that you have an AK,The morons of our society might not mess with you.Due to the fact that most people think that its the ultimate killing machine.

 

[Dwind]

maybe because the media always reports crimes commited with one as having used 'armor piercing ammunition'.

 

[luckyshot]

for ME my wasr-10 is a symbol of a good rifle that always works and has 30 rd clips READY to go..:thumb: if people don't like it TUFF!

 

[keltoboi]

I couldnt care less if the gun im using is "politically correct" or not. Here if you have a gun any gun you are automatically considered to be "politically incorrect".

 

[Brew]

Any firearm with a long magazine gives the impression of wrongdoing even though they are perfectly legal in every way. The AR,FN and all of the others give the same impression.

That said, they also have the impression of ultimate authority, and slung on the back instead of held in the hands, has just as much crime stopper power. The mere look can thwart crime without ever firing a shot. This is the true power of the weapon. All guns go bang. Magazines mean nothing.

AS for piles of ammo cans, I have watch entire 440 round cans disapear in one afternoon at the range. (slow fire range) Now think this through carefully. If you spent the morning and the afternoon at the range you could burn 1000 rounds of ammo easily even with stop times imposed by range management. Its conceivable to go through 1200 rounds or more.

Now you have 5K rounds stored. Do you think any judge or jury would try to hold that against you when you can show film and prove you have 5 days of range ammo on hand? I think any number of youtube links can confirm range ammo disappears very fast, and some zealot prosecutor would end up looking like a dumbass, possibly ruining his career for life.

So you have 500K of ammo? perhaps that may mean something, but if you have 20-30 friends and shoot 30-45 days out of the year as a club or group its still means nothing.

Now even my wife was shocked when we burned a small can of her lake city ammo in the afternoon. She looked at our remaining stock and said "is this all we have? its not enough" I told her it was enough, but she does not agree in any way. Perhaps she is right we should have more than a day or two at the range on hand.

The key is to follow all the laws and rules in your area as well as meet federal guidelines in every practice. Then when it comes time to sue, make sure you get a dream team, and collect big. Hell I would take 10% of the settlement to ensure full quality legal representation was present.

 

[Grinnan Barrett]

The gun is a combination of three designs. Mostly it comes from the Germans of WW2. If you look you will note the gas system. The trigger set up is more US. There is some Russian work as well. For the last century or more weapons are more world wide than home grown. Look today at the side arms carried by the US military. Baretta and Sig have most of the contract with the M9 and M10. I agree with most of the responders above in that it does not matter to me what someone else thinks.

The AK action is by far an away the best weapon for adverse conditions. You can fix it many times with a hammer and a screwdriver. For instance it is an issue weapon for some special forces groups in the US military. I know guys in Psyops in Desert Storm who carried it. They were dropped behind enemy lines and had to rely on stuff they could pick up in many cases.

I will be shooting on Tuesday with some guys from the Dallas Police Dept and they all own AKs. The police are more interested in if you are breaking the law than what you own. Just to be sure you know where I am coming from, I own AK and US. I love my
M1A. but if I had to bug out right now it would be with an AK.

 

[Rshooter]

I bought my first commie gun last week, an SKS. I never plan on owning an AK since I personally do not like them. That said, this argument would hold water if the average citizen could identify a commie gun from an air pistol in the first place. I find myself constantly amazed by the ignorance of the populace of this nation.

Sort of like this week when the greatest financial crisis of our time occurred and the money markets broke a dollar on Wednesday. Most people went about their business without realizing that we almost went the way of the old russian republic!

 

[Ls1]

I wasn't asking anything about actions, reliability, etc. I know the history quite well thank you, I semi majored in it with an emphasis on warfare, but I was simply wondering what people's idea were concerning the ideology.

I guess it has seemed to me in our culture the Ak-47 represents evil, while the good guy carries his trusted m16 or m14...or even lever action.

I simply could see news like "Crisis hits U.S.!" "Band of ammo and gun hoarders brandishing Russian assault weapons considered threat. National Guard sent in to 'Neutralize' "

I don;t think if your just a family holding out and have an AK it will matter, but if you have a group...

I guess I see survival as looking at things from as many perspectives as possible.

 

[Skeeter_Killer]

Aside form the pollitically incorretness' of the rifle, the F&@#ing cost of the firearm is just stupid. Went into my area gun store yesterday and found a WASR for $600 and it was GOD&#%M broke and used to say the least. Could be the "gun store" was just gouging.

 

[lilc]

Symbolism Is Not Intrinsic

...I'm kind of just wondering how many of you have thought the ideological concerns about your firearms through? Does it not matter to you? Is is all too speculative?

With all due respect, my friend...whatever.

My SHTF long guns have been chosen with one unified set of criteria that have nothing to do with how mainstream society perceives them. They are simply the guns that, in the event of disaster or breakdown of social order, will be convenient to access and easy to maintain in an absolutely reliable condition so that I will be successful in defending myself, my family, and my property if and when the time comes that I have to shoot a bad guy. Period.

Oh, and to put at ease those who have issues with "Commie guns" and the symbolism with which they choose to engender them, I've got a stack of ARs too. 8o

 

[Ls1]

Fair enough ,and I do not intend to offend anyone. I'm just curious.

 

[lilc]

Fair enough ,and I do not intend to offend anyone. I'm just curious.

No offense taken or intended in return. Just representing a diametrically opposed perspective.

 

[Rshooter]

Aside form the pollitically incorretness' of the rifle, the F&@#ing cost of the firearm is just stupid. Went into my area gun store yesterday and found a WASR for $600 and it was GOD&#%M broke and used to say the least. Could be the "gun store" was just gouging.

No way I am gonna pay that much for one of them things, mabye that is why I do not own commie guns. I always could find a real gun for less. :

 

[OlympicArmsFan]

for ME my wasr-10 is a symbol of a good rifle that always works and has 30 rd clips READY to go..:thumb: if people don't like it TUFF!

+1 what he said goes for me also.

 

[Ls1]

Well, on a personal note, I can certainly understand wanting something that will go bang every time.