You say this as if ban actually made a difference. Only like 4% of people killed by guns in the U.S. are from the so called assault weapons. It has dropped to around 2%, but not because they aren't available.
Go to a gun show you'll see ak's, M-16's and almost every gun banned there. All the ban did was stop the sale and manufacturing of new assault weapons, I think there were 16 total. It also prohibited the functionality of the weapon, you could only have one of these items on the gun. Pistol grip, Folding stock, threaded barrel for suppressor's, large capacity magazines and probably one or two other things.
One of the reasons for the drop in death could be related to the supply and demand. Since the ban went into effect the demand by gun collectors and criminals has made the price of the gun go up. So some psycho looking for a gun, to acctualy use on someone, might settle on something more his price range.
Anyway, yes there is no real need for these semi-automatic weapons. But they are fun to shoot.
side note, anyone shoot an ak-47? Did it feel like it was about to fall apart?
namzep,
I am not positive but i believe alot of guns use the same ammo, like a tec-9 and a 9mm use a 9mm bullet so i don't see that as ever being possible.
I'll clarify a bit.
There were 19 weapons who's import was banned. They couldn't ban AR-15s or MINI 14s, putting american workers out of jobs looks bad come election time.
ARs and Mini-14s did have some of their features limited though.
The ban was all about "evil" features. Seperate pistol grip, bayonet lug, flash hider, carry handle, folding/collapsable stock, and hi cap magazine. Post ban imports are allowed two plus the mag, unless they contain more that 10 US made parts. Early on, the result was things like "thumbhole" stocks, and non removable muzzle brakes. Then enterprising US companies picked up the slack and started making parts. Before long we were again able to buy AKs, FN-FALs, and just about every other weapon that was banned in '94.
On the magazine side, production of domestic high capacity magazines was banned, as was the import of any hi cap mag that was made after the ban. (except for LEO use) M-16 and AK magazines are no different than AR-15 and semi AK magazines, and total production of pre ban mags for them is in the 100's of millions worldwide. Excepting late '94 and '99 (y2k scare) prices on them have remained fairly stable and the supply has never been exceeded by the demand.
As to AKs in general, I own three. I'm partial to the milled reciever AK, but the stamped reciever weapons function at least as well. They're not as accurate as an AR, but fill the receiver with enough mud to jam a dozen ARs and it'll still function. Every time. Honestly I can't say I've ever had an AK go click instead of bang, unless I'd lost count and the mag was empty.
As to Darkstalker's fears, Tec-9s are utter crap. Any criminal who uses one will shortly learn the error of his ways. Permanently.
Typical police issue body armor will stop 9MM and just about all pistol rounds. AR and AK rounds will penetrate, but then criminals want guns they can conceil and assault rifles don't fill that bill. Don't believe me? Ask a cop.
@namzep:
I bought my first "assault" rifle on my 18th birthday. Why? because I like them and I could.
I've hunted with a .308 Galil (Israeli AK variant), the AR I bought as my first rifle, and a few of the others. I disagree with your assesment in that:
1) Hunting with a hi capacity mag is illegal everywhere in the US. 5 rounds max in a rifle, 3 in a shotgun. If a game warden catches you hunting with a 30 round banana clip, your ass is going to jail.
2) Depending on the game, (e.g. deer) assault weapon rounds are underpowered and therefore illegal to hunt with. For all the anti-gun myths about AK rounds penetrating brick walls, you simply can't make a clean kill with it at normal hunting ranges.
3) Assault weapons generally don't lend themselves to having telescopic sights fitted. Open sights are fine at combat ranges, but you can barely see a deer through them at hunting ranges. If you can't see it, you can't hit it, and most hunters won't take a shot when the chances of wounding an animal outweigh the odds of killing it outright.
That said, most shooting done by assault weapon collectors is either target shooting or plinking. Plinking is just the recreational shooting of inanimate objects. My favorite plinking targets are bowling pins, but cans, water jugs, ect are common as well. The ammo is cheap, you can't hurt the weapons, and they're just flat out fun to shoot.
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Topic: The Clinton gun ban has expired! (Read 30998 times)
