Mikhail Kalashnikov, inventor of the assault rifle which bears his name, said he was proud of developing the AK-47 but wishes he'd designed something to help people instead ?nbsp;like a lawnmower. "I would have preferred to invent something which helps people and makes life easier for farmers. A lawnmower, for example," the 82-year-old general told Bild newspaper. The Kalashnikov, which can fire 400 rounds per minute and is light and easy to maintain, has become the weapon of choice for guerrillas and insurgents across the globe but its inventor does not regret his achievement. "I am proud of it. And sad, too, that the weapon is used by terrorists," said Kalashnikov, who was in Germany to open an exhibition about the weapon. Kalashnikov is said to have come up with the idea for the submachine gun while he was in hospital recovering from shell-shock* in 1941. The Kalashnikov went into production in 1947 and was adopted by the Russian army in 1949. Up to 100 million have been built. Despite the success of the AK-47, Kalashnikov has never earned any money from his invention. "All the earnings went to the state," he said.

* shell-shock：弹震症，指任意一种由现代战争创伤引起的急性的、通常表现为歇斯底里的神经官能症。

卡氏突击步枪（即冲锋枪——译者）的发明者米哈伊尔·卡拉什尼科夫说他为发明了AK-47（全称为Avtomat Kalashnikov Model 47——译者）而骄傲，不过他也希望自己发明的是某种对人有益的东西——比如剪草机。这位82岁的将军对《图片报》说：“我更愿意自己的发明是某种能帮助人、使农夫们生活更轻松的东西，比如说是一台剪草机。”每分钟可射出400发子弹的卡氏突击步枪轻便且易于保养，已经成为全世界游击队及反政府武装的首选武器，而它的发明者并未为自己的创造后悔。“我为之骄傲，同时也为它被恐怖分子所利用而感到悲哀，”卡拉什尼科夫说，当时他正在德国为一个关于这种武器的展览揭幕。据说卡拉什尼科夫是在1941年提出关于这种冲锋枪的构想的，当时他正因为弹震症而在医院休养。卡氏冲锋枪于1947年投产，1949年被苏联军队采用，累计产量已经达到1亿支。尽管AK-47大获成功，卡拉什尼科夫却从未因自己的发明得到过一分钱。“所有的收入都归了国家，”他说。

Remarks：战争的残忍来源于人性中的黑暗而不是武器，AK-47是清白的，有罪的是那些扣动扳机的手。