As the magic date approaches, the liberal bedwetters will, with their willing allies in the media, scream ever louder in a vain attempt to hurt Dubya in an election year (Hell..why NOT nothing else works! [;D]) and to force an already committed congress and president to somehow change their minds and reconstitute the AWB and force it upon an unwilling public.
From a technical, manufacturing and marketing standpoint, the gun and goodies manufacturers will have already geared up (They likely are now.) to begin making that which is currently illegal. Were I the CEO of one of the affected companies, I would be watching and listening carefully, and preparing my work force and my production lines to be ready to begin cranking out the good stuff at 0001 on the magic night.
I believe the advertising will be very low-key...since we all know anyway and the media will be doing their job for them.
Then...I believe that like all other products sold in America, sales of formerly "pre-ban" type weapons and accoutrements will simply be market driven. For example, the price of a now-pricey pre-ban M4gery should drop like a stone. As an example of how mags might be affected, "real" M1A mags should suddenly become very plentiful, making the total package more attractive. Once the restrictions on them are off, quality manufacturers will begin to crank them out in heavy volume until the demand is met. Here again, the most basic law of supply and demand will drive the price down to the cellar. The real loosers will be the cheesy imports...and they will have to come up in quality or be shut out by market pressures.
Now finally...I hear you naysayers...you nattering nabobs of negativity crying in your beers about how Bush and the other pols are going to somehow screw us again at the last minute. Forget it! I checked again with my congresswoman and Ms. Davis remains convinced that NO AWB of ANY SORT will ever make it out of congress to the president for his signature. NONE!!! You guyz need to get a grip and remember how the system for enacting laws works: There simply is no majority in congress now that favors ANY sort of gun control law! THAT is what we got when we voted in the Republicans...remember them...the party of freedom?
Consider this too: No Republican leader in congress wants to send this tar-baby down to the White House. It spells suicide for any politician now. A quick review of the effect that we, the so-called "gun lobby" had on the last few election cycles has finally convinced Republicans and Democrats alike that they better take us seriously. Now...that isn't going to sway some of the libs but it works for most of them: Want to keep your cool DC job? Don't vote against guns! As long as the congress is controlled by the Republican Party, NO ANTI-GUN BILL IS GOING TO PRESIDENT BUSH...NOT ONE! Guyz...I can assure you that no amount of whining on the part of the antis is EVER going to get an anti-gun bill on this president's desk.
Having said that...just remember this...IF Hillary (or any other liberal Democrat) wins in '08...ALL bets are off! Unless we still control congress, I would expect to see another AWB quickly signed into law.
Remember, the AWB was a stupid, Clinton-era, feel-good law specifically crafted to appease a small but vocal group of liberals. During the last ten years, enough empirical data have been gathered to COMPLETELY debunk the basic model that caused the libs to enact the damn thing in the first place! Having it in place has done NOTHING to reduce crime, the illegal use of firearms, death by firearms whether intentioned or not, or the illegal sales, transfer, or use of firearms in ANY way whatsoever. So...in short, the AWB has been a total fucking bust! Since it has no merit, it is doomed to the ash heap of shitty laws.
Now...y'all can sit back and pooh-pooh me if'n ya want...but I for one am planning on fulfilling some of my needs as soon as the bill sunsets and the market shelves fill up.
Have a good one!
LWilde