The Story of the World Deadliest Gun – the AK-47

It is one of the most widely recognizable weapons in the world, carried by more than 50 national armies and an array of police, intelligence and security agencies. The Kalashnikov, branded the AK-47, is durable, cheap to make, easy to conceal and deadly. But where did it get its start, and how did it make its way across the globe? Author and New York Times correspondent CJ Chivers will discuss the history of the world’s most infamous firearm. Pulling from interviews with and the personal accounts of insurgents, terrorists and child soldiers, Chivers will explore the history of the Kalashnikov and its role in the evolution of modern warfare. Along the way he will document the experience and folly of war, and challenge both the enduring Soviet propaganda surrounding the AK-47 and many of its myths.