Ofcourse there's gonna be backlash, but once they adjust to the nerf they'll be fine with it. The only argument to keep the AK as strong as it is now is because it's an incentive to pay for VIP. But seeing as it scares away new players the difference in income might not be to big of a difference, more new players = more people who want to support the server.
the nerf was around for a few months also I really don't see that many people getting scared of the AK, it just ends up being "hey drop me your ak vip"