Perspective

[TooFewGuns]

I'm 34. I do not remember the beginnings of the Clinton Assault Rifle Ban, and it isn't like there was the kind of internet records that there are on everything today. What do you guys remember about its implementation and the response from the gun community?

[crbutler]

A sudden surge in black rifle purchases, to the point that prices were way out of sight, and much wailing and gnashing of teeth.

The law had a date of onset that effectively meant that there were no noncompliant guns for sale when it went in to effect.

I paid 10X what I should have for an HK 91, couldn't find a 94, and brought 4 AR's, going in to debt to pay for them. Had a plan of where to bury them and everything to keep them safe, too...

Now, I realize I was had, but it made me much more of a active person politically. Paid what I paid for the pistol for a bunch of pre ban high cap IPSC style mags also, since I was just getting in to it then. Now I wish I had brought colt "snake" guns and US mil surp collector's pieces.

That said, it was given a sunset, so people didn't behave too "badly."

Now, we see the likes of the buy up that is going on with any suggestion of a new law, regardless of likelihood of passage and gun owners are much more willing to fight this stuff before it gets to the point of a vote...because we thought it was beat then also.

[LarryP]

I'm waiting for someone to start a ammunition investment IRA. Probably do very well!

[igofast]

On the ass end of it I started looking into purchasing my first handgun. IIRC, and I usually don't, used 'standard' capacity pre-ban Glock mags were going for $150.

[Rip Van Winkle]

As I recall, Algore cast the tie breaking vote in the Senate for the ban. The democrat's took a beating and lost control of the House and Senate in that years election.

[TooFewGuns]

On the ass end of it I started looking into purchasing my first handgun. IIRC, and I usually don't, used 'standard' capacity pre-ban Glock mags were going for $150.

Wow, that is incredibly high. Didn't the pre-ban mags have some kind of marking on them? How much were AR mags?

[MJY65]

On the ass end of it I started looking into purchasing my first handgun. IIRC, and I usually don't, used 'standard' capacity pre-ban Glock mags were going for $150.

Wow, that is incredibly high. Didn't the pre-ban mags have some kind of marking on them? How much were AR mags?

I'm sure someone was getting $150, but I certainly remember $120. The pre-ban were unmarked. The ban mags had "LE only" on them. I think beat to heck AR mags were in the $20 range.

[gbono23]

I remember trying to find high capacity magazines for my S&W 915 during the ban. I was able to buy aftermarket ones, didn't feed right, nor did they fit well, for a reasonable price, around $40 for a 15 round mag. At the time that was ok, since I only had one magazine for my gun. Recently I purchased 3 more from S&W and spent less than that for each. You could find stuff back then, but you paid a lot of what you got. After Sandy Hook, I fell into the trap of buying on impulse, and bought a gun for list price that in retrospect I could have waited and got for less. I love the gun, so its something I will keep, but at the time guns were flying off the shelves so fast and who knew what they were going to try to impose after that. My local gun shop had got 3 of these in that day, two were already sold, this one had just hit the floor, and as I was looking and debating a man walked up and asked, "Are you going to buy that?", and I did.