30 years ago, the Clinton AWB was signed and enacted into law. 20 years ago, it expired.

[Miami_JBT]

If you are a gun owner and want gun rights, it's a no brainer who to vote for in November.

I will take "Oops, my bad, I made a mistake of listening to NRA, so sorry as Supreme Court slapped me down on my executive branch/administrative agency overreach decision" of Trump over "Mandatory gun buyback/confiscation" of Harris ANY DAY.

The difference with Trump versus Harris is simple. She doesn't hide her burning desire to disarm Americans. Trump is indifferent and if the political winds are blowing in a direction that support disarming the people. He'll go in that direction because he's a populist. She will fight to disarm us. But we have a system of checks and balances in place to fight her. Plus, we have had a number of wins that solidify our fight. And if she still goes trough with it, then she shows that she's not an elected office holder, but a dictator. And the Anti-Federalists specifically listed the Second Amendment there for a reason.

We have the soap box, ballot box, jury box, and cartridge box. So far, we're using the first three boxes.

 

[drk1]

The thinly veiled apologists for a political party that has been trying to take your guns since the Sullivan Act in 1911 and was responsible for trying to preserve slavery in a country where "all men are created equal" are sickening. The invasion that these people have created is simply their latest effort to import slaves who they will make into voters in order to preserve their power into perpetuity. These are the same people that scream and shout about "democracy" when they are too stupid to realize that the United States is a Republic, not a democracy. These political sycophants are nothing more than "useful idiots," who go so far as to lift false quotations and images from the same socialists and marxist who are trying to make the United States into a democracy and destroy your freedoms. Name one marxist nation that recognized politaical freedoms as rights let alone allows its citizens to own firearms.

 

[AlexanderA]

I can not only see it (a national AWB) happening in the next four years, I believe it could happen by March of 2025

You're overlooking the fact that the Senate will almost certainly be under Republican control. And that's unlikely to change in the 2026 election. So no, federal gun control of any sort is not happening in the next 4 years. Not much at all, legislatively, is happening in the next 4 years. Only pablum that has bipartisan support.

 

[American_Fusilier]

You're overlooking the fact that the Senate will almost certainly be under Republican control. And that's unlikely to change in the 2026 election. So no, federal gun control of any sort is not happening in the next 4 years. Not much at all, legislatively, is happening in the next 4 years. Only pablum that has bipartisan support.

I hope you're right. But 10 million illegals figuring out how to vote may change that...

 

[AlexanderA]

I hope you're right. But 10 million illegals figuring out how to vote may change that...

Why would immigrants -- legal and illegal -- care about gun control and other American political issues, and be burning to register and vote? No, immigrants (both now and in the past) primarily care about making a better life for themselves, and maybe about sending money to their families back home. It takes a long time for them to get comfortable here, and when they do, they're very likely to turn out to be conservative. (Look at the Cubans in Florida for an example.) The "leftist immigrant horde" is an unfounded myth.

 

[CapnMac]

It was my trigger to get involved in RKBA activism.

Likely the firebrand that lit the fire in many of us "here" at THR and elsewhere.

For all the "success" of getting the AWB passed, the congressional reality was very different. It was hugely unpopular in Congress, which is part of why the "sunset clause" was included at all. Also why the thing was so disjointed and full of holes for enforcement.

The sunset of the bill created a great flood of ARs in civilian ownership. A good argument can be made that the AWB is actually why the AR is in such "common use" today, too.

 

[American_Fusilier]

The "leftist immigrant horde" is an unfounded myth

I disagree, but I sure hope you're right!

 

[herrwalther]

It was rough being a budding gun enthusiast (not yet owner) during that time. Especially growing up in New York state. They seemed to be more heavy handed on the enforcement and propaganda of what was and wasn't illegal.

 

[Old Dog]

You're overlooking the fact that the Senate will almost certainly be under Republican control.

Maybe in a parallel universe. I think one lesson we should all heed is what we should have learned in 2016 and 2020; to discount what the polls say, ignore the rhetoric, the mainstream media, social media and just wait for the ballots to be tallied.

Of course, I live in Washington state, so although I'm no conspiracy theorist, I'm jusssst a bit skeptical of our process these days.

 

[Balrog]

They might "go for a total ban", but they would have to grandfather to get it through because of the 5th Amendment prohibition on taking property without compensation and the instantaneous emergency injunctions that would be filed and granted as the traffic was cleared for a fast track to SCOTUS. There the lower court injunctions on the basis of the 5th would be upheld and shortly after the filings on the 2nd.

Seems strange that they would break the 2nd Amendment, but honor the 5th. So I am gonna have to disagree with that logic.

The best we will get if there is another assault weapon ban is an opportunity to register the weapon like an NFA item.

 

[benEzra]

It was my trigger to get involved in RKBA activism.

Mine as well.

 

[Will Munny]

Why would immigrants -- legal and illegal -- care about gun control and other American political issues, and be burning to register and vote? No, immigrants (both now and in the past) primarily care about making a better life for themselves, and maybe about sending money to their families back home. It takes a long time for them to get comfortable here, and when they do, they're very likely to turn out to be conservative. (Look at the Cubans in Florida for an example.) The "leftist immigrant horde" is an unfounded myth.

Its not a myth. They don't need to care about gun control, they just need to vote for people that do. That can be accomplished by buying votes.

 

[kwguy]

You're overlooking the fact that the Senate will almost certainly be under Republican control. And that's unlikely to change in the 2026 election.

I hope you’re right.

 

[lilguy]

Well, I live in Illinois. We got a ban last year. I do not believe any last highest court is going to open the flood gates to banned weapons. Just like the FOID card l have had for 52 years, maybe all these controls are not unconstitutional.

 

[jmr40]

I remember watching the house vote while watching C-Span. The bill lost by 1 vote and time had expired to vote. But a couple of minutes later someone changed their vote, and the bill ended up passing by 1 vote. I always wondered what was up with that and I don't think I ever heard who changed their vote or why.

But at the same time the ban didn't really ban much and in fact inspired many to buy an AR. Thirty years ago today I didn't own an AR and didn't know anyone who did. By the time the ban expired in 2004 I had 2 and didn't know anyone who didn't. Pre-Ban rifles sold at a premium, but Post Ban AR's weren't much different. They had no flash hider nor bayonet lug. Neither feature was a big deal to me. They came with 10 round magazines, but 20-30 round magazines were available albeit at somewhat inflated prices.

For one thing the bill passed in congress on 8/25/94. Clinton didn't sign it and make it law until 9/13/94. During that 3 week period manufacturers worked 24/7 to produce as many magazines as possible. Manufacturers approached the military and every LE agency in the country and offered to trade them brand new magazines marked "For LE and Military use only" for their old magazines at no cost. Not just AR magazines, but Beretta, Smith, Glock, and every major handgun maker did the same. Then they started importing pre-ban magazines from all over the world. There were a butt-load of magazines available for common guns.

Those magazines were a little hard to find initially and some did sell for outrageous prices. But after a few months the market was flooded with AR magazines and 9mm pistol mags for common pistols at reasonable prices. Shooters also discovered that 10 round magazines intended for 40 S&W pistols would hold 14 rounds of 9mm ammo and worked just fine in some guns. A 10 round G22 mag worked just fine in a G17 with 14 rounds.


The 40 S&W round and 10mm were only introduced shortly before the AWB and there were never many manufactured prior. Those were hard to find and did sell at a premium throughout the ban.

 

[Miami_JBT]

Why would immigrants -- legal and illegal -- care about gun control and other American political issues, and be burning to register and vote? No, immigrants (both now and in the past) primarily care about making a better life for themselves, and maybe about sending money to their families back home. It takes a long time for them to get comfortable here, and when they do, they're very likely to turn out to be conservative. (Look at the Cubans in Florida for an example.) The "leftist immigrant horde" is an unfounded myth.

It isn't that illegal immigrants vote, it is that illegal immigrants are counted in the census. That means some states have inflated representation in Congress and with the Electoral College.

As for immigrant communities becoming more conservative. Yes and no. As a Cuban-American, I can tell you that as the Cuban-American Community is more Americanized, they become more liberal. Each passing generation is further removed from the horrors of Castro's Cuba and to the youth, that is ancient history. The second and third generations born in the US are thoroughly educated in American schools and universities and adopt American leftist ideology. They're no different than the folks who great-great parents came over from Ireland or Italy. They have no connection to the old country (meaning no personal reasoning for why they fled the old country) and they're just your average American.

 

[Miami_JBT]

I remember watching the house vote while watching C-Span. The bill lost by 1 vote and time had expired to vote. But a couple of minutes later someone changed their vote, and the bill ended up passing by 1 vote. I always wondered what was up with that and I don't think I ever heard who changed their vote or why.

But at the same time the ban didn't really ban much and in fact inspired many to buy an AR. Thirty years ago today I didn't own an AR and didn't know anyone who did. By the time the ban expired in 2004 I had 2 and didn't know anyone who didn't. Pre-Ban rifles sold at a premium, but Post Ban AR's weren't much different. They had no flash hider nor bayonet lug. Neither feature was a big deal to me. They came with 10 round magazines, but 20-30 round magazines were available albeit at somewhat inflated prices.

For one thing the bill passed in congress on 8/25/94. Clinton didn't sign it and make it law until 9/13/94. During that 3 week period manufacturers worked 24/7 to produce as many magazines as possible. Manufacturers approached the military and every LE agency in the country and offered to trade them brand new magazines marked "For LE and Military use only" for their old magazines at no cost. Not just AR magazines, but Beretta, Smith, Glock, and every major handgun maker did the same. Then they started importing pre-ban magazines from all over the world. There were a butt-load of magazines available for common guns.

Those magazines were a little hard to find initially and some did sell for outrageous prices. But after a few months the market was flooded with AR magazines and 9mm pistol mags for common pistols at reasonable prices. Shooters also discovered that 10 round magazines intended for 40 S&W pistols would hold 14 rounds of 9mm ammo and worked just fine in some guns. A 10 round G22 mag worked just fine in a G17 with 14 rounds.


The 40 S&W round and 10mm were only introduced shortly before the AWB and there were never many manufactured prior. Those were hard to find and did sell at a premium throughout the ban.

That vote was Republican John Kasich.

 

[AlexanderA]

The best we will get if there is another assault weapon ban is an opportunity to register the weapon like an NFA item.

There could be a silver lining to this. Yes, it is said that registration is the first step to confiscation, but the actual historical record belies this. None of the guns registered under the original 1934 NFA, or the 1968 GCA amnesty, has been confiscated. I personally remember the discussions among "gun people" before and during the 1968 amnesty. Some of them, having illegal WW2 bring-back machine guns, didn't register them, being convinced that they would eventually be confiscated. Others went ahead and registered. Well, we know the outcome. The unregistered guns are still contraband (and potential felonies), while the registered ones are worth a fortune.

And the antigun politicians haven't even proposed confiscating guns on the NFA Registry. So, this is a perverse sort of protection. (In Virginia, recently, there was a serious attempt to ban AW's -- with no grandfathering -- but the bill was silent about the thousands of registered MG's in the state. I would have had to remove my semis from the state, but not my machine guns. Go figure.)

Not to mention that a wholesale rewriting of the NFA could be a backdoor way of repealing the Hughes Amendment and allowing registration of new machine guns.

 

[AlexanderA]

It isn't that illegal immigrants vote, it is that illegal immigrants are counted in the census. That means some states have inflated representation in Congress and with the Electoral College.

The unstated assumption here is that illegal immigrants would gravitate only to blue states. But the ones that end up in Texas, Ohio, or Florida, for example, would boost the clout of conservative votes. This is why bussing these people from Texas or Florida to New York is self defeating.

This is like the 3/5 Compromise all over again. Slaves (3/5 of them) would boost the voting power of the slave states, even though they themselves couldn't vote.

 

[4v50 Gary]

It didn't affect us in CA because we already had our onerous ban in '89. CA was flooded with EBR before it went into effect and sucked the nation dry as every available EBR was snatched up.

When Kamala became state Atty Gen she sent CA DoJ agents out to seize EBRs owned by people who had restraining orders. She is very anti-2A and unworthy of the highest office of the land. It doesn't even come up but I don't think she's a natural born citizen.

That goodness that Bubba's AWB had a sunset clause. I was so happy when I was threading a barrel for an evil flash suppressor. It felt like FREEDOM.

 

[Miami_JBT]

Part two is now out

20 Years Ago Today, The Clinton ‘Assault Weapons’ Ban Was No More

The lesson for anti-gunners and federal level Democrats should be that nothing makes an American want something more than the government telling them they can’t have it.

www.shootingnewsweekly.com

 

[kwguy]

I understand the natural human tendency to find the silver lining in negative things, but hopefully, we’ll never have to try to find the silver lining in the anti 2A world that the current Dem ticket and the rest of the antis want to create, because it would just suck. It would be like trying to find the silver lining in being bonded in chains, or eating a cactus. It would just suck. Better to do all we can to avoid that before it ever happens.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

One of those who voted for the AWB was Congressman Mike Synar,- D- Oklahoma. That election year, he lost the primary to a political neophyte who went on to lose to a Republican.

 

[JDeere]

Bought an Armalite ar10 during that time.Had a break rather than a flash hider and 10 rd mags. Got 20 round mags during that time pretty reasonable. Left it that way on purpose after all that was over. Easier to control. Still have glock and ar mags marked with "leo use only".

 

[kwguy]

Don’t know how to isolate the vid, but this is just amazing, as pertains to an AWB. And STILL there will be apologists for this.

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