[fooman]

Note that MSNBC said that the witness selected the 74 BASED on seeing the terrorist shoot!

[The KG9 Kid]

There's almost no mistaking an AK profile from any of the former Soviet satellite nations, but there are several non-Commie rifles that look just like an AK from a distance: Valmet 76s, Galil ARMs, South African R4s (AKA "LM-5"), etc.

All of them fire NATO 5.56 (nearly identical to Remington .223) ammunition.

However, all of these rifles except for the Commie-made "AK-74" are uncommon in the US -- even during the public 'Assault Weapons' buying spree of the late 1980s/early 1990s. The South African R4 is almost never seen.

I would expect that if the shooter really is using an "AK-74", that it's a Romanian clone or a recent Russian 'sporterized' import chambered in Remington .223.

It's just my opinion, but I don't think that anyone who's got a fascination with the 'Sniper Culture' would choose an AK-74 for their rifle.