Danger on the mean streets of Orlando

The AK 47 is the weapon of choice for armies around the world. It is also a weapon that is becoming more prevalent on the streets of O-Town:

Men With AK-47 Storm Chuck E Cheese's
www.local6.com/news/14580461/detail.html

Robbers armed with a handgun and AK47 assault rifle in Osceola County try to shoot store clerk
blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_local_orlandocrime/2007/03/osceola_deputie.html

Man armed with a high-powered assault rifle escapes from deputies
blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_local_orlandocrime/2007/11/man-armed-with.html

AK-47 Assault Rifle Used In Robbery
www.local6.com/news/15524801/detail.html

Eatonville Teen Shot With Assault Rifle
www.wesh.com/news/16817435/detail.html

Leave the AK-47, take the cannoli
blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_homicide/2008/10/leave-the-ak-47.html

I-Drive Wendy's robbed with AK47
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hzXbhnyVZc&feature=related

'Disposable' AK 47s—trend that worries cops
www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-shootout1108oct11,0,563660.story?track=rss

Suspects Armed With AK-47 Rob Coin Laundry Mat
www.wftv.com/news/17309369/detail.html

Drive-by shooters toss AK47 out of their truck
blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_local_orlandocrime/2007/07/drive-by-shoote.html

Another interesting story referencing an assault rifle like the one our local law enforcement carries:

Man charged with attempted murder after firing assault rifle during robbery
www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-assault-rifle-arrest-102408,0,4825474.story

The AK 47 is a rifle that is manufactured in Russia as well as other East Bloc countries. It is also manufactured in China, and other countries in Asia. They are inexpensive to acquire, while still being a very formidable weapon for close and medium range combat situations. Statistically there have been more AK-type rifles manufactured than the total of all other assault rifles combined. The AK 47 was designed by a Russian soldier named Mikhail Kalashnikov and was put into service with the Russian Army in 1947. It is also known as the Kalashnikov assault rifle. This rifle fires a heavier round (7.62x39mm) than the M16 (5.56x 45mm), which gives it more penetrating power, The AK47 requires minimal maintenance and rarely jams no matter what conditions the rifle is exposed to, do to loose tolerances in the operating system. It was reported that during the early Afghanistan conflict in the 1980’s, the freedom fighters were servicing their AK 47’s by dipping their boot strings with knots tied in them in motor oil, and using them to clean the bores of their rifles without doing any other maintainence. If you tried this with an M16 the outcome would be disastrous, and would probably make the weapon inoperable.

Let’s see how the AK47, the weapon of choice for Domestic Urban Terrorists compares to the M16/ M4 that our law enforcement officers are equipped with:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6BpI3xD6h0

So as demonstrated in the video, the AK47 is not as accurate as the M16, but has greater firepower. While law enforcement has rules of engagement that they must follow to insure the safety of innocent citizens, Domestic Urban Terrorists have none, therefore accuracy is not really a primary consideration. To paraphrase one popular rap song, “The more you spray the less you have to aim”.

How much lead can an AK47 deliver down range at a target quickly? Let’s see just how long it takes for an AK47 set on full automatic to discharge 300 rounds:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNAohtjG14c

You will notice that even though the rifle became seriously overheated, it did not fail and all 300 rounds were expended. The AK 47 is a wrecking machine that can take a licking and keep on clicking. Standard magazines are available for the AK 47 that hold 30 and 40 rounds, and drum magazines are available that hold 75 and 100 rounds. In theory, the AK 47 has the capability of firing 600 rounds per minute.

The person firing the weapon in the video was a little slow changing the magazines and fumbled at times, so let’s take a look at how quickly a trained professional can reload his weapon during battle.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qkg530TvniA&feature=related

www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvZwkv_NUmU&feature=related

Now I would like to define some terms for my readers that are not familiar with military hardware as to eliminate any confusion. When I refer to an AK 47, I am referring to a rifle that is capable of being operated in a fully automatic mode. There are AK47 look alikes that are semi automatic, and the distinction needs to be made, especially when being reported by the media. A semi automatic AK 47 is not an assault rifle, although it may look exactly like one. There are semi automatic scoped hunting rifles that create a far greater threat than a semi automatic AK47 does because of the scoped rifles accuracy. I could give a lengthy explanation of why this is, but I found a video explanation that will suffice for my readers:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjM9fcEzSJ0

This is not to trivialize the serious threat posed by a fully automatic AK 47 firing multiple rounds, but to demonstrate that there are bigger fish in the weapons pond that would not be considered an assault rifle, and most people who have no understanding of weaponry would not even consider them a threat from a visual standpoint:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vgr3kTU68uw&feature=related

It should be noted that I have confirmed that many of the Ak 47’s removed from the streets of Orlando are in fact fully automatic assault rifles. Here is a quote from a report about a recent sweep done by a Florida law enforcement agency.

Details by County:

Orange County:

399 assigned offender contacts
25 law enforcement teams involved
29 offender arrests (25 assigned offenders, 4 non-assigned offenders)
Contraband seized: 3 firearms (including 2 AK-47 assault rifles) with ammunition , 142 grams of Marijuana, 44 tablets of Hydrocodone, 25 grams of Ecstasy, 10 grams of crack cocaine and 1 Lorazapan pill.

www.dc.state.fl.us
/secretary/press/2008/TaskForce2.html

Orlando Is not the only city in Florida that is plagued with this dilemma:
AK 47’s seem to be the topic of discussion by law enforcement all over Florida these days:

www.gainesville.com/article/20071215/NEWS/712150322/1002/NEWS

edition.cnn.com/2007/US/11/05/cops.guns/index.html#cnnSTCText

www.nytimes.com/2007/09/17/us/17miami.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Orlando does have the distinction of having the highest number of murders of any city in the state of Florida, and ranks #11 in the survey of the most dangerous cities in America based on the 2007 crime statistics. After this years high number of murders and violent crimes, O-Town may move up a few positions in next years survey.