Back in 2015 the Obama administration banned companies from doing business with the Russian company Kalashnikov Concern, one of the popular manufacturers of Russian made AK rifles. That’s why Kalashnikov USA is now a thing — they’re building rifles here in the US of A to circumvent the sanctions and continue selling to the American civilian firearms market.
Now it appears that like the Trump administration is expanding those sanctions to include another company MOLOT-ORUZHIE…which means their VEPR line of firearms will be affected.
From the U.S. Treasury Department’s list of sanctioned companies:
MOLOT-ORUZHIE, OOO (a.k.a. OBSHCHESTVO S OGRANICHENNOI OTVETSTVENNOSTYU ‘MOLOT-ORUZHIE’; f.k.a. OBSHCHESTVO S OGRANICHENNOI OTVETSTVENNOSTYU PROIZVODSTVENNO INSTRUMENT KACHESTVO), 135 ul. Lenina, Vyatskie Polyany, Kirov Obl. 612960, Russia; Registration ID 1094307000633 (Russia); Tax ID No. 4307012765 (Russia); Government Gazette Number 60615883 (Russia) [UKRAINE-EO13661] (Linked To: KALASHNIKOV CONCERN)
What does this mean for US gun owners?
For those who already own a VEPR firearm there’s no problem at all — your gun is 100% legal and will remain so. You can do with it what you want, whether that means selling it or keeping it.
Gun stores with VEPR firearms currently on the shelves should also be OK. Again, as long as no further money flows to MOLOT-ORUZHIE there’s no issue. Guns already in the country will be exempt from any sanctions.
Importers and distributors, however, may have a problem. Firearms “in transit” which have been bought and paid for will probably be OK, but they represent the end of the pipeline. No more new guns would be able to be purchased from MOLOT and imported into the country.
The end result is that we’ll soon see the flow of MOLOT-made VEPRs slow to a trickle and then stop completely. Prices of these firearms will likely climb as supplies dwindle, but as there are other US-made AK pattern options on the market including those from the new Kalashnikov USA. And so it goes.