Now that the ASW ban has sunset, Im being cautious about my planned strategy I had thought of months ago before this sunset was definite.

I would like to purchase a few lowers now that the ban has expired. Therefor they are no longer pre/post ban lowers. I assume I could later assemble them in any configuration due to the sunset, there are no longer any evil features. Collapsible stock and flash supressor are the only items I really want.

However if there is another ban on the horizon, will these lowers be grandfathered such as in the previous ban? Would they have to had been purchased as "complete assembled assault weapons" to remain exempt? Or would stripped, unmated lowers (not mated to uppers) be included in the ban since they werent assembled into complete weapons in time?

I know the solution would be to complete all rifles before any new ban. But if for instance I were to purchase 3-5 lowers to build out, then I would need 3-5 uppers @ about $500-800 each. Lowers are cheaper to buy and hold, then build as my disposable inclome budget allows.  

I honesty believe we have been given a small window of opportunity during the expiration of this ban. A reversed voting public backlash against the Republicans would be unpreceedented and historical if this becomes an election issue. We remember the consequences of the 1994 ban Clinton signed. The backlash effectively employed a Republican House and Senate against a Democrat President. Soccer moms and gun fearing anti violence groups would make an impact on this election, but if they are voting only on this one issue, theyre wasting their rights to vote anyways.

Once the presidential election is over, I wouldnt be suprised to see this AWB issue return again. Even if Bush is re elected, he has stated his support for such a ban. If somehow Feinstien, or someone else manages to force this bill to the floor by a law that permits such a thing. Im sure there would be enough votes to surely pass it. However the votes for it would depend on the proposed new ban and how restrictive it is. Remember Fienstien's initial proposal would ban all AR-15s and its duplicates, clones, or copies. So no more DPMS, Bushmaster, or Rock River for civilians. Any AR-15s already existing would be illegal to transfer from one collecting individual to another. So I would be stuck with all these and no way to grossly profit as others previously did selling thier "preban" weapons after 1994?

I believe a new AWB is on the horizon. There is presidential support for such a bill, there is just not enough support to introduce it into legislation to become a bill. Bush is playing both sides on this issue. If such a bill is delivered to his desk, he must sign it as he has always stated he supported it. Bypassing Tom Delay is possible, its just a matter of how and when it will happen. Then it becomes a matter of how restrictive the new ban would be.

I personally semi-supported the ban. It didnt matter with the cloned weapons on the market. We could all still purchase preban high cap clips. Yes they costed more, but civilians could still purchase them, unless they were marked LEO. AR-15s and AK-47s were still sold openly at gun shows with post ban features. So you couldnt have a "flash supressor" but you could still have a muzzle brake which did effectively the same thing. You couldnt have a collapsible stock, but you could have paid a more premuim price and purchased a complete preban weapon configuration with all these features anyways. The first ban did not prohibit consumers from getting "assault weapons" in the first place. We could still buy post ban AR-15s and AK-47s anyways. At the same place flash supressors, collapsible stocks, and high cap magazines were sold on the same table. Im sure there were people out there disregarding the law and assembling a collapsible stock onto a post ban weapon anways. Hell some of these dealers even sold M-16 conversion parts on the same table! Legal for civilian purchase, but illegal to install. Yeah right, Im sure everyone who purchased such a kit never intended to use it, but to hang it on thier wall as a display.

The first ASW ban law was ridiculous, and gun owners know it. It was riddled with loopholes. Its just a moral victory issue for lawmakers to sound like they are doing thier job to the uninformed. "We passed an assault weapons ban that prevents assault weapons from being on our streets". The ban was ineffective and meaningless anyways. I bypassed it by paying the premium for preban weapons anyways. EFFECTIVELY IT DIDNT PREVENT ANYTHING. Renewing the ban, would have just been a moral victory which I would have been ok with. It wouldnt affect my current collection, it wouldnt affect the sale of "preban" weapons. Prices would have still stayed at a premuim or increased. That doesnt bother me anyways. Every investment can win or lose. But these "preban" weapons would have still been obtainable.

We could be facing a new AWB in the future that may be more restrictive. The possibility of such a bill passing increases day to day from the time the current ban expired. The media would jump on any story that involves an "assault weapon" used in a crime since the expiration of the ban. They could completely disregard any facts that the weapon used may have previously been a post ban configured weapon that could have been purchased when the ban was still effective anyways. The anti gun, anti violence lobbying groups will still be active, and probably even more proactive once a few stories involving assault weapon incidents hit the news.

Im not saying assault weapon owners are criminals prone to commit crimes. However with the sunset of the bill, assault weapon prices will drop and become more mainstream again. They will become more affordable in a saturated and competitive market from all the manufacturers trying to become the next Colt. The Tec-9 was always legal before and after the ban. But listen to how the media describes the gun. A "Tec-9 machine gun", a "Tec-9 uzi", a "Tec-9 machine gun assault weapon". This gun can be purchased from $200-$300. Cheaper than an AR-15 or AK-47. Popular item for teenage thugs and wannabe gansters to pick up, touch, and pose with at gun shows, Ive even seem a couple of them purchase a few. All it takes is a few reports about these weapons that werent classified under the previous bill to be used by such individuals that would create a firestorm against "assault weapons" again.

All of us are educated and responsible gun owners on this board. However we have to remember there are still men, women, and children out there that have been brainwashed to believe assault weapons are evil. They have been raised on Hollywood movies and special effects portraying these weapons as fully automatic machine guns capable of mass destruction causing explosions and numerous deaths without ever having to change a magazine clip. Most non gun owning civilians, or untrained civilians believe such assault weapons are fully auto. So does the media. They do not explain the difference between fully auto and semi auto in thier reports. They show the weapon and the aftermath damage. The viewer is left to assume the function of the weapon. The media does not explain the difference between assault weapon and preban or post ban in thier reports. They instead display a variety of both postban and preban weapons together classifying them as assault weapons.

For once I would like to see a news station show a table of prebanned weapons. AR-15s, AK-47s etc in preban configurations and inform the public these are preban, but can still be purchased at a premium at a legal gun show. Then pan to a table of post banned AR-15s and AK-47s clones and tell them these were always being sold at legal gun shows for less, despite an assault weapons ban in effect. How many viewers would be able to tell a difference between a flash suppressor and muzzle brake. A 10 round clip vs a 20 round clip. Theyre all going to be looking at the overall profile of the scary gun.

I believe renewing the previous AWB would have protected gun owners and enthuiasts more from future bans that will be even more restrictive. Politicians know the previous ban was ineffective, and they know why. Any new bans introduced will close all the loopholes, and be more restrictive and effective. Yes we assault weapons owners and enthusiasts have a victory today, but be prepared for for polical and anti gun lobby battles, and more strict regulations in the future.

This is my conspiracy theory. Let the existing ban expire, it was ineffective. Bush publically supports the ban, but it never got to his desk. He wins both sides. Eventually a stronger, more effective bill will be introduced such as Feinstien proposed. It will be passed despite gun owner and NRA protests. Bush would had won his 2nd term, and doesnt have to worry about losing votes. So he signs the bill after it is forced through congress, and passes through votes senate as it already would have before. A new more effective and restrictive ban will be in place. It will be illegal to manufacture any clones such as Bushmaster, Rock River, DPMS and others have been doing. It will be illegal to transfer any of these weapons, so you cannot sell for a profit, but only hold onto them. Parts will become scarce, and these weapons will eventually dry up, which was the original plan. The effects of this bill will be dramatic and effective, politicians will see this as effective gun control, and so will the gun control lobbyists.

This will lead to other regulations and legislations, not to infringe on gun ownership rights, but to further curb street violence and crimes involving guns. Every incident where a handgun is used instead of an assault weapon will be seen as effective in the ban's purpose. Even if the criminal owned an assault weapon but didnt want to use it because it was too large to carry, too heavy, or too difficult to conceal. The media and anti-gun advocates will still portray it as a new assault weapons ban effectively working. Then effectively eliminating assault weapons in crimes (despite a huge black market that will develop for these weapons), politicians will see gun control and strict regulation as effective and begin imposing bills and regulations on all firearms affecting all law abiding civilians. The black market will thrive for these weapons, possibly fund terrorism and supply terrorism with such weapons, while the mass public is left with inadequate weapons to defend themselves.

A criminal or terrorist is not worried about preban, postban, legal, illegal, stolen, legit, contraban, etc. Why reason does a criminal or terrorist have to worry about such features and weapons they are about to commit a crime with? They are going to commit the crime anyways. A law abiding civilian is worried about these issues and plus the criminals. When a criminal is better armed than a civilian or police department, then I worry. When a criminal has access to superior firepower from a black market that I admit does exist today, I begin to worry. As a law abiding civilian, I wouldnt have access to a black market of weapons than a robber, home invader, rapist, or serial killer would have. I would only have access to a regular handgun or shotgun with legal features that the government has permitted me to have as my right to defend myself and my family vs a criminal outside my door with a weapon that the government says nobody should legally possess.

There are positives and negatives to everything. So I say enjoy the expiration of the ban now, but be prepared for a more restrictive future.

see my post below to see what they want in AWB II

I to have a bunch of stripped lowers and think a new ban will be enacted soon. so I bought collapsible stocks and pistol grips for them all and took pics and sent them by mail to myself and did not open them. If a new ban has a grandfather clause then this would keep thier preban status sense it already has 2 evil features the stock and the grip and the mailed (postmarked) pics would be proof of preban status. So you realy dont need the entire AR built just buy a $5 grip and cheap beat up stock (I bought used beat up stocks for $25 each a few weeks before the ban expired).
Tim