It's those unintended consequences. I bet two thirds of this board would not be here if not for the bans. I personally know of eight military style weapons that never would have been purchased if not for the SB23 ban. And then these people start to buy other guns. Hell, even though I had a couple before the '94 ban, that kickstarted me into more purchases.
I remember going to the range in early 2000 and there were probably 75% of the shooters there with military style rifles. Almost everyone I talked to were shooting their new purchase they bought because of the ban.
This year I've been stocking up on handguns. I would probably still get one after next year as the new regs don't [i]really[/i] bother me, other than in principle, but it is a great excuse to the wife as to why I need new ones NOW. I'll probably have all the handguns I want by Christmas.
Now I just need to figure out how to afford that .50. [:D]