Kalishnikov USA, the company that manufactures the Russian-made AK-47, has been approved to open a factory that makes the weapon in Pampano Beach, Florida.

Invented by Russian Army tank commander Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1941 during WWII, the military weapon that has been adopted by guerillas and terrorists, has been in the hands of about 100 million soldiers since it was first mass manufactured in 1947.

Kalashnikov, who died in December 2013 at the age of 94, once said he felt personally untroubled by his contribution to bloodshed.

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.