I was trying to explain this stuff to a Canadian friend of mine, and realized I didn't understand the import ban as well as I thought I did.

Now the AWB is what banned magazines over 10 rounds.... but the import ban banned foreign made rifles that could accept a high cap mag right?

That explains why H&K was able to import the USC and SL8-1.  The modified receivers meant it would only accept the proprietary 10 round mags, and therefore it was imported.  But it doesn't meet the US Parts requirement, does it??   It's very confusing...

Then there is the Steyr AUG and USR thing..... The AUG was banned from import, so they modified it to have the thumbhole stock, changed the name and started importing them again. But then it was banned by name. However both the USR and AUG can both accept high cap mags.

I know the AWB bans features on all Semi-autos and bans any mag over 10 rounds... I simply don't understand all the aspects of the import ban. Please help !

I don't either!

Something about bringing us part content up and then its ok.

That would mean that someone has to make parts for these foreign weapons so that w ecould have them in their original configuration?

If they build them here then it doesn't matter?

Will we be able to import hi cap mags from other countries after the sunset?

Oh christ wheres the tylenol

Well I see no one knows any more than us

For rifles, the import ban sets a criteria that a rifle is banned from import if it can accept a detachable magazine and has ANY of the normal evil features.  It is more strict than the 1994 because the '94 allowed for 1 feature.  

For years the thumbhole stock got around the ban, but that changed in 1998 when the ATF declared it to be the material equal of a pistol grip.

US made weapons aren't subject to the import ban.  That's why rifles like the SAR AK style rifles are still available.  They import the "parts" and build the rifle in the US by using 10 US made parts.  That's the required number of parts for it to be considered a US made firearm.

Right now high capacity magazines can still be imported into the US but only the one's made before the AWB can be sold.  When the AWB goes away it will allow newly manufactured high capacity magazines to be imported and sold.

SO after the AWB dies, would it be possible to, say ... put a flash suppressor on a H&K USC?

The AWB banned them, and when it dies they should be legal right?  Or does imported status of the USC prohibit it from having that feature?

OK, here is the way the import bans work. This may not be perfect as there are several different executive orders and congressional laws that affect the import of firearms; but this is reasonably close.

The 1968 Gun Control Act gave BATF the authority to regulate import of firearms to the United States and also the authority to deny import for firearms that didn't meet the "suitable sporting purposes" clause of the 1968 GCA.

In 1989, ATF decided to revisit this clause and decided that certain semi-automatic firearms being imported did not meet the "sporting purposes" test. As a result, many guns were restricted from import and those that were allowed into the country had thumbhole stocks, no flash hiders, etc.

During the Clinton administration, several things happened that affected this ruling:

1) Unsoeld Amendment was passed in Congress and signed by Clinton. This is the law that specifies imported firearms must have a certain number of U.S. parts and restricts the import of parts for rifles.

2) ATF again revisited the "sporting purposes" test and decided any firearm capable of accepting a large-capacity military magazine was no longer suitable for import, even though the parts to build one could be imported

3) In 2000, the Clinton administration also banned import of parts for any of the rifles affected by the import ban; but in 2001, the Bush administration reversed the decision to allow import of parts for "repair and replacement" only (since they were also constrained by the Unsoeld Amendment which was a law and not subject to revision by EO)

So essentially, you have different waves of import bans and different guns that were affected. H&K was able to import the USC and SL-8 because they were incapable of accepting large-capacity military magazines. The AUG was banned under the 1989 import ban; but the redesigned USR was still OK until the Clinton administration expanded the import ban to include all rifles that could accept large-capacity military magazines.