The small portion of the debate that I watched last night had Kerry jumping on Bush about letting the AWB expire. He said something to the effect that terrorists could go to gun shows and buy AK-47's without any paperwork.

The way I understand it, new production of higher capacity magazines and the legality of newly attached folding gun stocks are about the only thing different. It's been about 7 years since I've been to a gun show, so I don't know first-hand. I know at some point, there was a lot of talk about closing the loophole that allowed longarm purchases at gunshows without a background check.

I mean to buy a real assault rifle like an M-16 or Uzi legally, a terrorist would still have to go through the huge ATF background check, right? I'm not talking about a scary looking 10/22 with a folding stock and 50 round jam-every-shot clip.

I don't fully understand this thing, and I'd like to because I've heard from family members that Bush was wrong for letting this thing expire. Maybe I don't have the full picture, but I don't see that the ban did anything good.

If some of you guys could shed a little more light on the subject, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks,
amndouglas

Kerry's comments were BS. Terrorists buy fully automatic weapons at government level prices off the black market. They do not buy semi autos at retail from gunshows. The end of the AWB allows folks in free states to attach flash hiders, bayonet lugs and collapsible stocks to their pistol gripped semi auto rifles. It also allows private citizens to possess new manufacture magazines with a capacity over 10 rounds. There is no change to the power, rate of fire, lethality or any other meaningful parameter of the weapons in question. The purpose of the AWB was to establish that there was a class of weapons that were unsuitable for the citizenry to own. After that, it is just a matter of expanding the "unsuitable" definition.

New purchase through dealers - covered by federal laws, that is, background check required unless you have a concealed-carry license (and may need a background check anyway, depending on your state).

Private (non-dealer) sales - covered by your state laws, which may vary from no restrictions at all, to same full background check (ie. must go back through a dealer, anyway).

The 'ban' at the federal level only prohibited new manufacture / importation. Existing guns / magazines still legal (some states banned them anyway). All it did was create an instant market for such things. Glock magazines went from $20 to $80 or $100, overnight, and I'm sure the value on many "pre-ban" guns went up likewise.

They can buy all they want in downtown Bagdad, anyway. Kerry is counting on most of the public being woefully ignorant of the existing gun laws. Unfortunately, he'll resort to lies when the truth doesn't suit his purpose.

And the instant crime wave didn't materialize that the
antis predicted, with AWB gone.Ed.

And the instant crime wave didn't materialize that the
antis predicted, with AWB gone.Ed.
Well there was that LEO that got shot in Florida.....with an AK-47.....a fully-auto AK-47.