Les Jones

Guns > Assault Weapons Ban Sunset

The 1994 Assault Weapons Ban expired today. The main change is that we can buy new magazines with a capacity greater than 10 rounds. In addition, some guns that were formerly banned by name will be sold again, and some mostly cosmetic features like flash hiders will be available. The bigger bonus for gun owners, is that an anti-gun law sunsetted, and the anti-gunners wound up admitting that the ban was pointless to begin with.

I was stoked last year, anticipating the sunset. Now I've got a baby coming that will keep me busy, the weather's cooling off soon, and I don't expect to get to the outdoor range much the rest of the year. Too, I expect a few more options and a bit better pricing once the rush is over. Barring a wild hair I'll probably wait until next year and get a post-ban, flat-top AR with an eeeeeevil flash hider and telescoping stock. Starke was telling me good things about Rock River Arms today at lunch.

Alphecca's AWB sunset edition of the weekly check on the bias.

SayUncle (who has been all over the AWB for months) has a link roundup.

Jay Caruso has a game of spot the banned gun. Yes, the ban really was this arbitrary.

UPDATE: I realized I should have covered the basics more thoroughly. I assume that most of my readers already know that the AWB has nothing to do with fully-automatic weapons (AKA "machine guns"). Those guns are already regulated by the 1934 National Firearms Act, and will continue to be regulated despite the sunset of the AWB. Just in case, I'll make a note of it.

Also, to appreciate the true purpose of the ban, here's a telling quote from Charles Krauthammer, a Washington Post columnist. I've blogrolled him and agree with most of his columns, but Krauthammer is anti-gun and has written a book on the subject. "In fact, the assault weapons ban will have no significant effect either on the crime rate or on personal security. Nonetheless, it is a good idea . . . . Its only real justification is not to reduce crime but to desensitize the public to the regulation of weapons in preparation for their ultimate confiscation."