- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
Thanks for doing all that hard work for me Recon, now it's my try...
The ban did NOT make AK-47s or AR-15s illegal as many of you think. It was still legal to own and trade "pre-ban" weapons that people already had, but their prices went up because the manufacturers were not allowed to produce any more. Even then, AK-47s and the like were still produced during the time the ban was in effect. It really only banned superficial elements - bayonet lugs, grenade launcher mounts, pistol grips, etc. These weapons made during the ban were simply lacking in a few features that would serve no purpose for anyone intent on killing, they just impeded hobbyists and collectors. For example my friend Gary, among many others, owns an AR-15 and an AK-47, both fully featured because he bought them before the ban came into effect.
Basically, the Clinton ban was a "feel good" law put in place for soccer moms that really didn't ban anything important. I'm glad that it's expired. I mean, bayonet lugs make the entire weapon illegal? When was the last time you heard of a gang war being fought with massed infantry charges?
Finally, I'm willing to bet a very large sum that most crimes involving firearms in the US are committed with 9mm or .45 cal handguns. I'm also willing to bet that almost every one of them is not even registered and was sold illegally through the black market, and I know as a fact that only 2% of crimes invovlving firearms in the US are committed with assault rifles.
**Bonus trivia**
The term "assault rifle" comes from the MP44 that was produced by N**i Germany. It was originally named "Sturmgewehr 44", meaning "Assault Rifle 44"; it was pure propoganda, but the name stuck and that's how we call these armor-penetrating automatics today. Before it entered full-scale production, however, the Stg. 44 was renamed MP44 due to Hitler's unwillingness to produce any weapon that was not a machine pistol.
[Edited on 9/25/2004 8:01:40 AM]