Can you imagine this?

The following is parody:

WASHINGTON – Descendants of Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson, 19th century gun makers whose names became synonymous with American firearms, accepted medals today from President Barack Obama, who lauded the two men for creating “a brand every American is proud of.”

The following actually happened:

MOSCOW (Reuters) – The designer of the Kalashnikov, sometimes called the world’s most lethal weapon, was named a “Hero of Russia” on Tuesday by President Dmitry Medvedev who lauded him for creating “the brand every Russian is proud of.”

“In our country, such phenomena do not happen every day,” Medvedev told Mikhail Kalashnikov after decorating him with a gold medal at a lavish Kremlin reception dedicated to the assault rifle’s creator’s 90th birthday.

The Kalashnikov is also known as the AK-47. It’s one of the world’s most common assault rifles.

Can you imagine that happening here?