Sales up, prices down as assault-weapons ban expires

Gun lovers are back in the hunt

11:45 PM CDT on Tuesday, September 14, 2004

By MICHAEL GRABELL / The Dallas Morning News

The decade-long ban on assault weapons ended without much fanfare or controversy at Dallas-Fort Worth-area gun stores this week, but it sure fired up some sales.

Gun dealers note that during the ban, many of the banned items and weapons produced before the law were still available, though much rarer and more expensive. Now, with the law lifted, magazines that hold 15 rounds instead of 10 and guns with collapsible stocks and pistol grips are selling for a third of what they cost during the ban.

At Cheaper Than Dirt! Outdoor Adventures in Fort Worth, a few customers milled about the racks of camouflage clothing and the walls of rifles and deer heads. The store saw a slight rush on high-capacity magazines and had to order more previously banned semiautomatic weapons after the last of three sold Monday night.

"Everybody's looking for the sales and deals now," said Cody Henslee, the store's director of operations.

At The Armory in Mesquite, employees set up a display of the now-legal weapons and barbecued hamburgers and hotdogs. They talked with customers about the benefits of pistol grips and flash suppressors and criticized the law's effectiveness.

While national gun-control groups bemoan the law's demise and gun-rights groups cheer, the biggest impact for local gun stores and hobbyists has been the drop in price.

Kenny Austin, a Crandall truck driver, went to Cheaper than Dirt! on Tuesday hoping the store would have some of the previously banned weapons left.

"Everyone really held onto them, and they were worth a lot," said Mr. Austin, who wore a T-shirt with a Glock logo. "The one I was looking at before was $2,500. Now I'm thinking it's going to be about $800."


SUCK IT FEINSTEIN!!!!!!!!

I saw a post on another board that Bachman Pawn had sold every LEO ONLY item in stock.  I wonder what kind of madhouses the gun shows at Mesquite and Market Hall are going to be like in the next two weeks.

Quoted: I saw a post on another board that Bachman Pawn had sold every LEO ONLY item in stock.  I wonder what kind of madhouses the gun shows at Mesquite and Market Hall are going to be like in the next two weeks.

The gun shows ought to be quite a hoot, at least through the end of the year or so.

If I had to venture a guess, I'd say most people are buying while the items are available and they are envisioning another ban on the horizon.  That's not likely with the Congress we have now, but if the democrats should manage to gain seats, it could be a reality.

I am not even bothering to go to a gun show and look at any AR's just stuff for my USP and ammo.

Quoted: If I had to venture a guess, I'd say most people are buying while the items are available and they are envisioning another ban on the horizon.  That's not likely with the Congress we have now, but if the democrats should manage to gain seats, it could be a reality.

I don't think so. This is a political hot potato and all but the most liberal politickers with the most liberal constituencies don't want to touch this. Tim Russert had it right the other day: people who favor the AWB are less likely to vote the issue as people who oppose it.