With the AW ban sunset looming on the horizon, and depending on the ban actually sunsetting (which depends on how well we communicate our wishes to Congress), I have been kicking around the idea of how to go about having a rifle with pre-ban features that I can legally possess and use in the meantime. I know that I want a 14.5 inch Bushmaster M4 with a Vortex flash hider permanently attached and collapsible stock.
Can I avoid the ban by assembling it around one of those 10 round internal magazine lowers, while keeping a stripped Bushmaster lower in reserve for the sunset? Or, could I also build it as a straight pull bolt action on a regular post ban receiver by say, cutting the gas tube in half and welding it shut? I would lean toward the latter for the fact that a gas tube could be replaced much easier and cheaper than a lower. If not, does anyone else have any ideas?
I know that both of these ideas are sacriligious as they do dishonour to the beauty of the AR design - the ability to accept standard capacity detachable magazines and fire them as soon as the rifle reloads itself, all in one nice ergonomic package, but I want to have everything together ready to be assembled, in the event that time gets to be of the essence and avoid paying higher prices for pre-ban parts after the sunset, and still be able to legally use it now. Thanks in advance.

...and if the ban is replaced, you have wasted your time and money. Just get a regular AR now incase the ban is replaced with something worse. If so, you got a preban, if not, you have what everyone else does...no biggie. If you really are determined about this vortex thing go get a preban, you still have a year to sell it again if you feel like it.

Everyone assumes that if the ban sunsets and then later on a new one is passed into law that everyone will have Preban's.  That would depend on if there is wording in the bill to grandfather existing rifles.  If there weren’t then you would not have a Preban.  Personally I think it will sunset but I just had to point out that you wouldn’t necessarily have a Preban.  It was only wording in the current bill that allowed for grand fathering existing rifles (I doubt the ban would have passed in 1994 without the sunset and the grand fathering).

The current ban will sunset in Sept. of 2004.  That's a fact.  What I'm wondering is if I have the parts like a FS and telestock ready to put on my postban the second that ban sunsets will I have a legal rifle?  Being as my rifle was built and sold during the time of the ban it would qualify as postban but the minute that ban sunsets it's no longer a postban because the particular law that made it postban is now gone.  What if something isn't put in it's place at the exact second it sunsets?  I can do what I want right?

If you have a FS and a colapsable stock but don't OWN A PREBAN I think they can get you for intent to manufacture an AW.  However what are the chances anyone is that cares is going to find out.

When the ban sunsets on Sept 13th 2004 , its no longer there. No law will regulate what a domestically produced semi-auto rifle looks like (besides 16" barrel, 26" OAL ). There are no longer "Semi-automatic assault weapons" or "Large capacity feeding devices". So when your rifle was built is meaningless.


So, Yes you may put on flash hiders, telestocks, ect.. to your AR on Sept 13 (or 14th whateve the day exactly is) 2004

Does anyone else agree with this?

Just to expand upon what I said and to further answer your question. If they say pass a new ban 2 weeks after the sunset and during the interim 2 weeks you added the goodies to your rifle, you ask , will it be a "pre-ban" , the answer to that is , "noone can answer that"

Without knowing what a new ban will say one cannot say what will be banned. The new ban could say they are fine, could say anything pre-94 is fine, or could even say nothing is fine, turn em in.

A second to what StewartTR said.  As I understand the law, you may not own any pre-ban goodies (true telestock, flash hider, etc.) without owning a preban rifle already.  So technically you would have to buy everything you wanted to add to the gun the day the ban sunsets and have it installed before another bill was passed.
I don't see this really being an issue though.  My guess, either the ban sunsets and you will have a while before anything else can get through(because if they couldn't pass it b4 the ban, chances are they will still have trouble passing it) or they will have something new in place before the current ban sunsets.  Assuming of course that we are able to get the ban to sunset.