Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
The New York Times may have accidentally wandered into one of the most awkward Second Amendment admissions imaginable this month: the AK-47 isn’t some fringe battlefield relic. It’s basically Americana now.
That realization came after the paper published a feature titled “Where Did All the AK-47s Go?” lamenting the shrinking availability of imported AK-pattern rifles and ammo in the U.S. market.
Where Did All the AK-47s Go? Lol Let's just say i have more than one. Notice how they admit these guns are "ubiquitous"? That means "everywhere." That means, "common." As in, protected under the 2A. Silly lamestream media, saying the quiet part loudly.https://t.co/Pbw9vVTEto
— Texas2AAttorney (@CJGRISHAM) May 21, 2026
And gun world reactions were immediate.
Some people treated the article like an obituary for the AK market. Others treated it like the Times accidentally wrote a love letter to one of the most iconic rifles on Earth.
NRA Institute for Legislative Action definitely landed in the second camp.
The NRA-ILA quickly pointed out the article repeatedly described AKs as “ubiquitous,” “everywhere on the civilian market,” and “the rifle of choice for many American gun enthusiasts.” Wording that sounds hilariously useful in future court cases involving so-called “assault weapon” bans.
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Because under District of Columbia v. Heller, firearms “in common use” generally receive constitutional protection. And if the New York Times itself is calling AKs common? Well… thanks for the courtroom exhibit, guys.
NRA-ILA basically responded with the legal equivalent of Leonardo DiCaprio pointing at the TV.
The organization noted the Times’ descriptions line up pretty cleanly with how courts increasingly describe protected firearms after Heller and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen.
And, they’re not wrong. It’s difficult to argue a firearm is some exotic outlier while simultaneously calling it “ubiquitous” and “everywhere.”
That’s kind of like writing, “Nobody drives pickup trucks anymore,” while standing in a Texas Buc-ee’s parking lot.
Meanwhile, firearms trainer Gabe Suarez from Suarez Tactical had a completely different reaction.
His take wasn’t really about constitutional law at all. It was more like a seasoned gun guy shrugging and saying: “Yeah, the AK market changed. That’s life.”
Suarez explained that the golden era of cheap AK kits is long gone. Back in the early 2000s, shooters could build quality rifles cheaply using imported demilled kits and affordable ammo. But import restrictions and manufacturing realities eventually changed the economics.
Today, Suarez argues, a quality AK often costs about the same as a quality AR. And that changes the equation.
“There’s no way that I can make a quality AK… and make any money on it,” Suarez said while discussing why he eventually stepped away from the AK business.
But his hottest take had less to do with rifles themselves and more to do with modern American culture.
Suarez argued that in 2026, anybody responding to a violent incident with a rifle — AK or AR — risks immediately being mistaken for the bad guy unless they’re clearly identifiable law enforcement.
That’s a conversation a lot of gun owners probably don’t love having, but it’s one Suarez hammered repeatedly throughout his commentary. His conclusion? Train with pistols more.
“Your main focus should be the art of the pistol and becoming dangerously good with a pistol,” Suarez said.
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That doesn’t mean he hates AKs. Far from it. At one point, Suarez casually mentioned owning 30 AK rifles. Which sounds less like a collection and more like the start of a small Eastern European militia.
Still, both reactions ended up circling back to the same funny reality: The AK-47 is no longer viewed in America purely as some foreign insurgent rifle.
It’s become deeply embedded in American gun culture itself. And the irony here is impossible to ignore.
For years, anti-gun activists and media outlets tried portraying rifles like the AK and AR as uniquely dangerous weapons outside the mainstream.
Now even legacy media outlets keep accidentally describing them exactly the way gun rights advocates have for decades: common, popular, culturally embedded, and owned by huge numbers of ordinary Americans.
At this point, the rifles are practically arguing the court cases themselves. That said, do you see a noticeable decline in the popularity of the AK? Do you own any?
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The article says they were “once ubiquitous” as in past tense. Must’ve missed that part, though not sure how since it was in the first paragraph.
I have 2 AK’s, a Serbian and a Bulgarian. It’s been a while since I looked at 7.62×39 prices, though during covid it became pretty expensive, like everything else. I just looked at ammoseek and it looks as if it’s now $0.54/round…good thing I have about 7-8 cases of wolf squirreled away.
I do have a AK74 Bulgarian in 5.45×39. I do have ammo but thus don’t shoot it much. I’ve owned many different AK types from 1988 to today. It’s not my favorite but I still liked to train with them for familiarity.
We bought one long ago as the AK and ammo were CHEAP.
That ship sailed.
“Your main focus should be the art of the pistol and becoming dangerously good with a pistol,” Gabe Suarez is quoted from this article in response to a question about using an AK-47 for self defense.
Clint Smith’s axiom: “The only purpose for a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should have never laid down.”
I have a couple in stock in my gunsmithing shop. The AK is a great personal defense weapon, in my view, for a couple reasons. First, the 7.62 x39mm cartridge is a cut above the 5.56 in stopping power. Both in muzzle energy and bullet diameter, the AK is superior. Plus, I really like the fact that affixing an inexpensive folding stock is so easy, which makes it an ideal truck or trunk gun. Conversely, the accuracy of the AK really sucks. However, the common three-to-four-inch group is totally adequate for repelling an attack at zero to two hundred yards. I have a tritium front sight on one (another box checked). Next improvement will be a red-dot. Stay safe. j
I have a Galil , it can hit chest sized targets at 300 yds. But , yes , that 5.56 AR is generally more accurate.
I have an extensive background with firearms to include a tour in Vietnam, 37 years as an FFL holder, 17 years as a firearms and tactics instructor (retired) for the Fed, obtained a NRA pistol instructor just for the heck of it, have owned and fired hundreds of guns over the last 65 years and have shot a truck load of ammo. I promote a “common sense” approach to ownership, training, safety, carry and all other aspects relating to firearms, I regularly read published articles mostly to explore other ideas but find that I often disagree with the self anointed “experts” that have learned all they know from watching TV. Saying all that, I have only one thing to say about this article: “Spot on”, I would train with you any day.
My take…anyone that wants one has one..or more.
I have an ak-47 and an ak-74. I do not shoot them as the ammo prices are out of my bounds. Both of mine are made in the U.S. Sounds american to me. But american made ammo is too pricey so they reside in the safe. That is what is happening to the ak.
maybe it’s don’t ask don’t tell…..