Having traveled to parts of the world where war has done its usual nasty work on people's lives, I have come to develop a particular hatred for the shape, the look, the sound of the AK-47.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I don't believe there's any reason for a person like myself to own an AK-47.
The fact that people die because of an AK-47 is not because of the designer, but because of politics.
We hear so much about weapons of mass destruction. But nine out of 10 war victims are killed by guns. It's the AK-47 that's a weapon of mass destruction.
People often ask me how I feel about my invention being used to kill people every day and the AK being a common weapon of ethnic conflicts. I want to make it clear that I created my assault rifle to protect my country. You can blame politicians for its spreading out of control on a global scale.
I hated the bangs in the war: I always felt a silent war would be more tolerable.
Guns are beautiful. But I don't like what they do.
I do not consider the AK to be the best-ever assault rifle.
I have to be honest - I don't love guns.
I'm saying, let's learn to reacquire a respect for the power of guns. This culture is so indifferent and disrespectful of guns that we should be terrified.
I was born into Sudan's civil war, and before I could read or write, I was using an AK47 in the conflict between the Muslim north and Animist/Christian south over the land and natural resources.