A protest against Kalashnikov USA – a well-known gun manufacturer that makes AK-47 rifles – is set for Sunday afternoon, right outside of the company’s warehouse in Pompano Beach, according to a news release.
The protest comes amid an ongoing debate about gun control in the aftermath of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, which left 17 people dead and several others injured. Nikolas Cruz, the gunman behind the attack, used an AR-15 rifle to carry out the deadly shooting.
“In light of the recent mass murder in Marjory Stoneman Douglas with the use of an AR-15, we are shocked to find out that a manufacturer of a similar rifle has been in operation within our county for the past 2 years, just a few miles from where the gunman murdered 17 innocent lives, while traumatizing an entire community,” the event page reads.
The company, whose slogan reads “No one knows AK’s like we do!,” was founded in 2015. According to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the company moved to South Florida from Pennsylvania due in part to the “quality of Pompano Beach’s industrial park” and “availability of skilled workers.”
The newspaper reported that sales at the company are wholesale only – no retail.
Kalashnikov USA is located at 3901 NE 12th Ave., not far from Stoneman Douglas.
Scheduled to speak at the protest are students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School as well as congressional candidate Tim Canova.
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The protest is being sponsored by several groups, including Progressive Democrats of America Broward Chapter and Women's March Florida.
This is a developing story and will be updated. Please check back for updates.
