Kalashnikov USA will build a factory in Pompano Beach, Fla., where it will manufacture the famous AK-47 assault rifle. Named after its designer, Mikhail Kalashnikov, the Avtomat Kalashnikova -- or Kalashnikov Automatic Rifle -- went into production in 1947; thus named AK-47. Photo by Ismagilov/Shutterstock 
 
 POMPANO BEACH, Fla., Jan. 28 (UPI) -- Kalashnikov USA said it plans to build a factory in Pompano Beach, Fla., where it will manufacture the AK-47 assault rifle. 
 
 Kalashnikov USA previously imported weapons from Kalashnikov Concern, the original AK-47 manufacturer in Moscow, but began producing them last year in Tullytown, Pa., soon after sanctions were imposed against Russia by the United States over President Vladimir Putin's annexation of Crimea in 2014. 
 
 The guns created in Pompano Beach are expected be sold to retailers nationwide, as the licenses given to Kalashnikov USA do not allow the company to sell guns in the South Florida city, nor make ammunition, CNN reported. 
 
 The AK-47 is one of the most popular assault rifles in the world, known for its durability and reliability. The price of the weapon has increased significantly since sanctions were imposed. 
 
 Named after its designer, Mikhail Kalashnikov, the Avtomat Kalashnikova -- or Kalashnikov Automatic Rifle -- went into production in 1947; thus named AK-47. 

 A manufacturer of the world famous Kalashnikov semi-automatic rifles has a license to operate a 40,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Pompano Beach. 
 
 Laura Burgess, spokeswoman for Kalashnikov USA, said by email Thursday that the company is transitioning from Tullytown, Pa., to Pompano Beach. The move should be complete by mid-February, she said. 
 
 Kalashnikov USA makes a range of gun products modeled after the original Kalashnikov AK-47, first manufactured in the former Soviet Union in 1947. The American company imported the firearms from the Moscow manufacturer, called Concern Kalashnikov, until the U.S. imposed sanctions against Russia in 2014 after its annexation of Crimea. 
 
 It began making the guns in its Tullytown plant last year and in July secured a zoning use certificate from Pompano Beach to operate in an industrial building zoned for light manufacturing. 
 
 Operations will include firearms assembly, manufacturing and importing, the certificate states. Sales will be wholesale only. No retail sales and no ammunition will be on the site. 
 
 The company's business tax receipt application, approved Aug. 26, shows that Kalashnikov USA will be at 3901 NE 12th Ave, a multitenant industrial center northeast of North Dixie Highway and Sample Road. The company's owner is listed as RWC Group LLC. 
 
 Twenty-eight employees are planned initially with 54 ultimately, the company's zoning use certificate states. The company pledged to create 54 jobs averaging $51,266 a year in exchange for $162,000 in Qualified Target Industry incentives from the state, city and Broward County, said David Coddington, vice president of business development at the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, Broward County's public-private partnership for economic development. 
 
 The alliance helped the company through its site selection and pre-permitting process, he said. 
 
 The company chose Pompano Beach over a competing city in Tennessee in part because of the city's experience with defense contractors such as Point Blank, a body armor manufacturer with 1,200 employees, availability of skilled workers and the quality of Pompano Beach's industrial park, Coddington said. 
 
 "They have a nice manufacturing plant in Pompano," he said. "Pompano has one of the best industrial parks in all of South Florida." 
 
 Most of the company's sales will be to overseas buyers, Coddington said. 
 
 Previous tenants at the site include Unaflex Marine Hose, which moved but stayed in the city. The building was redeveloped as a 202,103-square-foot distribution center in 2013, with Restoration Hardware as the primary tenant. Weeks Robinson Properties acquired the building in 2012 for $3 million. 
 
 According to a CNN Money story Wednesday, the company severed all ties with the Russian company Concern Kalashnikov after the U.S. sanctions were imposed. Kalashnikov USA launched new lines of rifles and shotguns — including a brand with a 30-round magazine — last week at the National Shooting Sports Foundation's annual SHOT Show in Las Vegas. 
 
 The Russian company bears the name of the gun's designer, Mikhail Kalashnikov, and the weapon is valued throughout the world for its durability and reliability. Prices in the U.S. rose sharply after sanctions prevented further importation. 
 
 Kalashnikov USA's website lists 10 products, including rifle and shotgun models. The website explains that the new American version of the AK-47 incorporates "the Russian Heritage of the long stroke, gas piston, rotating bolt design" and "American innovation" of parts manufactured with computerized numerical control technology, creating more tightly fitting parts. 
 
 "Less space and play between the moving parts results in smoother operation, a crisper trigger and more accurate shot placement," the site says. 
 
 rhurtibise@sun-sentinel.com, 954-356-4071 

 It’s as Russian as borscht, but the AK-47 will soon be made in Florida. 
 
 The weapon of choice for guerrillas, terrorists and the soldiers of armies around the world, some 100 million AK-47s have been made in Russia since it rolled off the line in 1947. But now, the company’s U.S. arm is planning to manufacture the gun at a plant in Pompano Beach, Fla. 
 
 “An iconic firearms platform, revered the world over, with a history of intrigue and controversy, now reborn as the new American Kalashnikov,” the company said in a statement. 
 
 “Whether you are a sport shooter, hunter, protecting family, home and country, the new Kalashnikov USA firearms will exceed your expectations of how a firearm should perform.” - Kalashnikov USA 
 
 The rifle dreamed up by Russian Army tank commander Mikhail Kalashnikov as he lay on a hospital bed after being wounded fighting the Germans in the 1941 Battle of Bryansk, became the world’s most popular firearm. The signature AK-47 — which stands for "Avtomat Kalashnikov," or “Kalashnikov’s machine,” and the initial year of production, was long available for import from Moscow until the U.S. imposed sanctions in 2014 in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Crimea. 
 
 Last year, RWC, which was the official importer and distributor of Kalashnikov firearms, was forced to cut ties with the Russian company. But it retained the U.S. rights to the name and initially opened a small assembly facility in Tullytown, Pa. Now, the company is planning a full-fledged manufacturing plant in the Atlantic Coast community just north of Fort Lauderdale. 
 
 “Whether you are a sport shooter, hunter, protecting family, home and country, the new Kalashnikov USA firearms will exceed your expectations of how a firearm should perform,” the company statement read. 
 
 Pompano Beach spokeswoman Sandra King said the company plan had been approved by the city, but did not have details on how many jobs the factory would generate or what its annual output would be. Kalshnikov USA spokeswoman Laura Burgess could not be reached for comment. 
 
 
 
 The company launched new rifle and shotgun models last week at the SHOT Show in Las Vegas, the annual conference of the National Shooting Sports Foundation. The new firearms include the “Alpha” line of rifles, with 30-round magazines. 
 
 While the company will offer various guns, the AK-47 will likely be a top seller. In the U.S. market, its main competition is the AR-15, but both are reliable weapons, said firearms instructor Steve Norrris, who teaches at the Markham Park Target Range in nearby Sunrise. 
 
 “The AK-47 is just as good, if not better,” he said. “One problem has long been getting parts, which maybe now would not be an issue. A lot of people have always bought AK-47s just for the history.” 
 
 Mikhail Kalashnikov, who died in December 2013 at the age of 94, once said he felt personally untroubled by his contribution to bloodshed. 
 
 "I sleep well. It's the politicians who are to blame for failing to come to an agreement and resorting to violence," he said in 2007. 

 Built on the battle-proven AK system, an iconic firearms platform has been reborn as the American Kalashnikov. The new KUSA models incorporate features made specifically for American consumers who demand the best when it comes to quality and function. Whether you are a sport shooter, hunter or looking for the ultimate home security weapon, Kalashnikov USA firearms will surpass your expectations. 

 The famous Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifles have been made in frigid Moscow since their inception 69 years ago. Soon, they'll be made in sunny Florida, too. 
 
 Kalashnikov USA has been approved by the city of Pompano Beach to assemble guns there. 
 
 Kalashnikov USA of Tullytown, Pa., was importing rifles made by Kalashnikov Concern, the original AK-47 manufacturer in Moscow, until 2014 when President Obama imposed sanctions against Russia following its annexation of Crimea. At that point, Kalashnikov USA severed all ties with the Russian company. 
 
 The company started making the guns in Pennsylvania last year, but is shifting manufacturing to Florida. Kalashnikov hasn't said why they are moving or how big the Pompano Beach operation will be. 
 
 Kalashnikov USA has recast itself as an American manufacturer of Kalashnikov-brand guns. It launched new lines of rifles and shotguns last week at the SHOT Show in Las Vegas, the annual conference of the National Shooting Sports Foundation. 
 
 This included its new Alpha line of rifles with high capacity magazines holding 30 rounds. 
 
 The company obtained "light manufacturing" approval in July 2015 from Pompano Beach, which is located on the Atlantic coast between Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale. 
 
 The company also has licenses from Pompano Beach and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to import, but the licenses don't specify what it would be importing, or from where. 
 
 The licenses do not allow the company to sell guns in Pompano Beach, or to make ammunition, so the Pompano Beach factory will be selling to retailers elsewhere. 
 
 Related: Kalashnikov's business is booming 
 
 The Kalashnikov brand dates back to the Stalin era of the Soviet Union. Based in Moscow, Kalashnikov Concern makes the AK-47 assault rifle, named after its designer, Mikhail Kalashnikov, and the year it went into production, 1947. 
 
 AK knock-offs are widespread, produced in many countries including China, former Soviet countries and also the U.S. But the true Kalashnikov brand is seen as something special by American collectors, and prices for the weapon have spiked since Obama's sanctions on Russia halted imports. 
 
 Related: AK-47s: Soon to be made in the USA 
 
 The Kalashnikov is one of the most popular assault rifles in the world, prized for its durability and reliability. In the current Afghan war, U.S. Marines captured a Kalashnikov from the Taliban that had been in use since it was produced in the Soviet Union in 1954. 
 
 The gun will now also be produced in Florida, a gun friendly state with relatively loose gun laws. 
 
 Military style rifles with their high capacity magazines are permitted in Florida. But they're restricted in other states, including New York, Connecticut and Colorado. 
 
 Kalashnikov USA plans to produce 10-round magazines for its rifles and shotguns to make them legal in states with more restrictive gun laws.
– Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifles will be soon be made in Florida. Pompano Beach recently gave Kalashnikov USA permission to assemble the guns in the city, CNNMoney reports. UPI reports that the company will build a factory there, and the Sun-Sentinel adds that the 40,000-square-foot facility will ultimately bring 54 jobs to the area. For decades, the Pennsylvania company was importing guns from Moscow made by the original manufacturer, Kalashnikov Concern, but in 2014, sanctions against Russia banned all imports of the rifles. So Kalashnikov USA made itself over as a manufacturer of the guns, and initially began assembling them in Pennsylvania. It is now moving the operation to Florida for unknown reasons. Kalashnikov USA's first lines of rifles and shotguns were unveiled last week at the annual SHOT Show in Las Vegas. The company's Alpha line of rifles features high-capacity magazines that can hold 30 rounds, but since such magazines are restricted in certain states, Kalashnikov USA plans to also make 10-round magazines. Interestingly, though CNNMoney calls Florida "a gun-friendly state with relatively loose gun laws," Kalashnikov USA doesn't actually have a license to sell guns in Pompano Beach; it will be selling the guns it makes there wholesale to retailers in other locations. "An iconic firearms platform, revered the world over, with a history of intrigue and controversy, now reborn as the new American Kalashnikov," the company says in a statement, per Fox News.