Gunsmith Day in Russia is the professional holiday for all employees of the country’s defense-industrial complex, the creators of domestic weapons, specialists in the history of arms development, and those who study the traditions of Russian weaponry. This holiday was established in Russia in 2010, thanks to probably the most famous modern gunsmith — Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov, creator of the legendary AK-47 rifle. This holiday has its own history. On May 25, 2010, Vladimir Putin (who was Prime Minister of Russia at the time) visited Izhevsk, where he toured the “Izhmash” defense enterprise. The Prime Minister inspected the workshops that have produced weapons for decades, and at the stand with various modifications of the famous rifle, he spoke with designer Mikhail Kalashnikov. It was during that conversation that Kalashnikov asked Putin to establish a Russian Gunsmith Day. “We strive to do everything to ensure that Russia holds a worthy place in the arms market,” the designer said. “We ask you to establish a day when, once a year, we can gather and summarize the results. A special day for gunsmiths.” The Prime Minister promised that such a day would appear in the calendar, especially since the Union of Russian Gunsmiths also made a similar request. The date chosen for the holiday was September 19 — the day the Orthodox Church honors the Archangel Michael, the protector of the heavenly host. Weapons have been used by humans since primitive times. Initially, they were primitive sticks, later stone axes, bows, and arrows, etc. With the advent of metalworking skills, the gunsmith profession emerged. With each passing century, these specialists improved the models of weapons produced. Russian gunsmiths have always been renowned for their craftsmanship. Today, Russian weapon models are rightly considered among the best in the world, and the defense industry employs tens of enterprises across the country. The defense-industrial complex (DIC) enterprises are located in 64 regions of the Russian Federation, and the total number of employees in the Russian DIC is about two million people (as of 2020).