RT:
In the last years of his life, Mikhail Kalashnikov, the famous Russian weapon designer, anguished over his responsibility for the millions of deaths his inventions caused, his published letter to the head of the Russian Church reveals.
In his public interviews Kalashnikov, who died last month at the age of 94, insisted that he created the AK-47 assault rifle and dozens of other firearms as a means to protect his country, and rejected responsibility for killings perpetrated by militants and terrorists using his weapons.
But, apparently, as he was approaching the end of his life doubts lingered in his mind. Kalashnikov, who found faith in his final years, shared the burden in a letter to the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, which was published on Monday by the Izvestia newspaper.
“My soul ache is unbearable and has one irresolvable question: if my rifle took lives, does it mean that I, Mikhail Kalashnikov, aged 93, a peasant woman’s son, an Orthodox Christian in faith, is guilty of those people’s deaths, even if they were enemies?”
Categories: Asia, Faith, Inventions, Israel, Russia
Mikhail Kalashnikov was an inventor of an assault weapon which is one of the best weapons ever made. He made this for the defence of his country. It is the user of the ‘weapon’ and their intentions which is relevant. A simple kitchen knife in the hands of a chef is essential but that same knife can be used to kill.
It is the minds of the people that determine the use of something. Even a fist can be lethal and lead to fatalities. Look at what the great Prophet Moses did when he punched he Egyptian and killed him.
Let us put things in perspective.