Was There This Much Of A Uproar When The Last A.W.B Was Passed?

[deadair]

following the awb....the midterm elections were a bloodbath for anyone whose name was on the "yes" vote.....the dems lost control....and they remember that to this day!!

[AKguy81]

The first assault weapons ban passed before people thought their government wanted to destroy their country and feed all of the wealth they've earned to americas losers and outside foreign interests.

[LibertyGuy]

Last time we didn't have all of these forums to share information on. The internet was in it's baby stages and not everyone had access or even a computer. We also weren't so divided as a nation then. Things are different this time. It seems like more of a threat to our rights, than ever before.

[Doc_Shane]

Bill was a President, now we have a Foreign Dictator, who is bent on oppressing the people so 2013= or > threat than 1776?

[Ohiocopperhead]

I wasn't a gun owner then, didn't have much money for guns and ammo anyway and wasn't really paying much attention to the debate until after the AWB passed. I do remember the monumental butt kicking the dems got in '94, much of it attributed to this issue.

[Gallo Pazzesco]

Originally Posted by mainah976

Hey everyone. I was a just a kid when the last A.W.B went through. I'm curious if everyone was reacting the same way everyone is now or was it less so.

It was nothing compared to this. I was a grown man then and a full-fledged prepper at the time. I can remember the week the AWB was passed having UPS drop 5,000 rounds of Wolf x39 at my doorstep at around $57 per k if I remember correctly.

The ammo kept coming and I kept caching - but boy oh boy did the high cap mags dry-up in a hurry. And the ones you could find for sale, on eBay of all places, well, they were through the roof. They quadrupled in price overnight.

This is far more serious, far more ominous IMHO. Depending upon how this works-out, this could be much longer lasting. I think the reason for that is that the country has shifted left, to the socialist side of things and is well on its way to becoming communist. And the fact that, at least it appears, that anything Obango and the Senate does will have a much more permanent flavor to it - something that cannot be washed-off of us down the road. We'll basically be tattooed with the stench of this administration and these socialists and communists around us for generations to come.

Honestly, a lot of us are feeling like we may have failed our country - even those of us who served. And many of us are feeling like we're being pushed/backed into a corner this time around.

[BurtGummer]

The internet changed everything. It's a big plus for our side. I think a surprising number of people have actually changed their minds on guns because they had more information and more people to talk to about it.

[KCFirepower]

there is a MUCH bigger subset of modern sporting firearm owners now than there was then.
The internet wasn't as widespread (gun shows got a little crazy), as the panic didn't quite kick off as soon as this.
Also "hunters" didn't oppose as much and the NRA pretty much let it happen, eventhough Clinton pushed it through with control of house and senate. The economy was also roaring at the time, and no one really knew how the ban would effect the industry.
The import ban proved to be the most damaging legacy Clinton left on the firearms industry, but we can't let something like this become permanent.
The backlash of voting after the last AWB changed the game for the dems for a while.

[LibertyGuy]

Originally Posted by Gallo Pazzesco

It was nothing compared to this. I was a grown man then and a full-fledged prepper at the time. I can remember the week the AWB was passed having UPS drop 5,000 rounds of Wolf x39 at my doorstep at around $57 per k if I remember correctly.

The ammo kept coming and I kept caching - but boy oh boy did the high cap mags dry-up in a hurry. And the ones you could find for sale, on eBay of all places, well, they were through the roof. They quadrupled in price overnight.

This is far more serious, far more ominous IMHO. Depending upon how this works-out, this could be much longer lasting. I think the reason for that is that the country has shifted left, to the socialist side of things and is well on its way to becoming communist. And the fact that, at least it appears, that anything Obango and the Senate does will have a much more permanent flavor to it - something that cannot be washed-off of us down the road. We'll basically be tattooed with the stench of this administration and these socialists and communists around us for generations to come.

Honestly, a lot of us are feeling like we may have failed our country - even those of us who served. And many of us are feeling like we're being pushed/backed into a corner this time around.

I understand your feelings about failing our country. Many of us who served during the 80's and 90's don't like what our country has become. I just hope many of our fellow warriors are prepared to continue to uphold our oath, and do what is necessary to put our country back on the right track.

[Jessee]

I had just finished a 6 year tour in the Navy at the end of 91", and was in college in Illinois when the 1st Ban happened. At the time, nobody I tried to warn believed the ban would pass. They were wrong.

Obviously the advances in communication technology has helped this time. But I think it has also facilitated a lot of BS Noise in the media and online.

Those of us who suffered through the first ban also realize that this time we are not looking at a temporary 10 year ban, but a lifetime ban. We now know all too well what a "slippery Slope" is, and realize that we must hold the line this time.

BTW - I hope everyone is not taking their eyes off of the U.N. Small Arms Treaty. We are being attacked from all flanks, Federal, States, and International.

Jessee

[9111315]

The first AWB likely had a lot to do with the increased popularity of the ArmaLite and Kalishnikov platforms.

Variations of the ArmaLite platform were developed that skirted the definitions of the AWB. These near ban weapons became desirable because of such status. When the ban expired, the average joe could get the real deal (as always, in the semiautomatic variation only). Just as prohibition increased the desire to drink, so did the AWB increase the desire to have one.

Now the "menacing" rifles are even more popular and the possibility of another ban is not an impossibility. Because of the prior "Grandfather Clause" many want to get one now before they are prohibited.

More people know about them. More people want them. More people are conceded with losing them. Just a much larger mass panic.

[mil spec]

Originally Posted by Jessee

BTW - I hope everyone is not taking their eyes off of the U.N. Small Arms Treaty. We are being attacked from all flanks, Federal, States, and International.

IMO Obama wants this for the U.N. Small Arms Treaty. Also IMO he wants us weak for his Muslim buddies to attack us. Just some thoughts I have had.

[9111315]

i don't have time to look at the U.N. Small Arms Treaty. Obama is going to sign an E.O. that does little or nothing next week.

We need to be pre-occupied with that . . . and the fact that Jodi Foster came out of the closet. I bet Hinckley never would have shot Reagan if Jodi was honest with the public 21 years ago.

[Sweeper80]

I was only 14 when the first AWB passed, when my dad heard about it, he went down to the LGS and bought $2k in SKS's and X39 ammo, $250 got me 3 SKS's and ~2k rounds. A month later, those SKS's were worth $300+ and climbing (SKS_D's, utilizing AK mags) AK's were going through the roof price-wise, and even 10/22 mags were going for ridiculous prices.

We didn't have the same distrust of our elected losers back then that we do now, and most people didn't think anything would change, but then it did.

The Demtards lost big on the next election day, and many more elections after. Now, not even true Democrats want anything to do with an AWB, only the far left libtards do, and we also didn't have a Republican Congress to help protect our interests.

Also, the NRA was in it's fledgling stages, now, with the NRA and it's millions of members, NAGR, GOA and every other pro-gun group backing We The People, Obummer is sucking hind tit and he's doing his damnedest to save face for his libtarded supporters.

[adampm]

I think most of us were more innocent back in '94. We still had some trust for elected officials and if we didn't trust them we actually believed they respect the limits set by the Constitution.

11+ years of nude body scanners, the Patriot Act, the NDAA, and other things the government has done in the name of protecting us from terrorism. (Despite the fact that the TSA has yet to stop a terrorist, the FBI's terrorist busts are questionable due to the role the FBI agent inside the group played, the blatant abuses of wire taps, and a host of other crap).

The internet is the best tool we have for maintaining freedom. It let's us know that others share our views and horror at what is happening in this country. It gives us access to stories around the world the lib media would prefer we don't know about. We can pool information and get advice from people all over the world. Organize in ways that were impossible 20 years ago.

No wonder Obama wants to install a kill switch on it and the politicians keep trying to find ways to control it.

[xBOOMSTICKx]

My semi auto pistol has a 11 round magazine, after the ban 10 rounders were around $25-$30.... 11 rounders were $75 if you could find one.

[Tokarev 40]

I remember picking up MAK 90's for 184 bucks each. Bought a bunch of preps then. My neighbor paid 80 bucks for a 40 round Ruger factory Mini-14 mag.
One thing I believe that is different this time is that we have a large segment of the population that has recently served in the military and are not intimidated by the "Big Bad AR" talk. They used it to protect themselves when they served, and had them around all the time. I believe that many held affection for them, and it continues to this day. That's why so many have been sold and new manufacturers sprung up in higher numbers than ever before. The truth is that the AR is a fun rifle to shoot, it's accurate, reliable and simple to work on. Plus, there are so many add ons you can do to customize it and make it your personal weapon. I think that many folks who own them know that they served well, albeit in a different, select fire mode, to protect troops from enemies overseas, and they now consider them to be useful to protect their families from heavily armed drug gangs and everything else when the SHTF. They know that the crooks will always get the guns, and it's their right and responsibility to defend their loved ones to the best of their abilities should need be. That means getting the best you can.
I also believe that there is quite a bit of data reguarding gun control that wasn't available before. Also, Clinton didn't have any "Fast and Furious" overshadowing his attempt. Some folks are saying,"How can you trust folks who will sell guns to narco-terrorists and then tell you they want common sense gun laws?"

[Paravani]

Originally Posted by A-Team

But as of this press conference today... Obama has openly crossed the line from President to arrogant dictator with a God complex... So expect the coming executive orders to be brutal.

And if that d--khead claims he represents the American people one more time... I'm going to send him a note that gun grabbing Democrats are NOT the American people... They are the welfare state that lives off the American people.

Oh no, he wasn't telling US that he was planning to infringe our rights, either!

We who voted for him are particularly incensed -- because while you Repubs have the comfort of saying, "See? Told you!", freedom-loving Dems have been completely betrayed by our own party. One of the reasons I didn't vote for Willard was his record of gun-control in his own state when he was governor -- so you think I'm happy about this?

Yeah, think again.

On the bright side -- yes, this time is very different from 1994. For one thing, in 1994 people weren't feeling so distrustful of government; we weren't being felt up every time we flew across the country, and airports, believe it or not, were places that kids could go to watch planes fly. You didn't need to go through security or have a boarding pass to roam the concourses; you just walked around like the free citizen you were, and nobody stopped to ask what you were doing in an airport.

Yeah, those were the days.

Back then, the main focus of the ban was originally handguns, which are responsible for something like 98% of firearms-related deaths. But Congress recognized that handguns were owned by too many people to ban them without political repercussions, so they settled for banning semi-automatic rifles instead -- mainly because not many people owned those back then. Still, they were voted out the very next election -- a lesson I hope they remember.

Now, a lot has changed. One thing that has changed is that even those who don't own guns are interested in this fight over our 2nd Amendment. I've been asking random folks what they thought about it, and even the girl checking my groceries at the market is talking about the Bill of Rights and the importance of the 2nd to uphold and defend all our other rights -- and she doesn't own a gun. I've talked to other young folks too -- kids old enough to vote, but too young-and-broke to afford to buy a firearm -- and they want their right to buy the firearm of their choice to be preserved, even if they don't have the money for it now.

I don't think I've EVER heard so many people talking about and reading our Constitution. I can't help but think that anything that gets people talking about that document and defending it is, in the long run, a good thing.

-- Paravani

[merlinfire]

I think some good points have been made. A generation of newly-minted warriors came home from the middle east. Fast and Furious and a lead up over the past few years. A "reborn" NRA actually standing up for all gun owners.

But without a doubt the biggest one is the improved communication and flow of information from the internet. These days, if a mouse farts in the whitehouse, we hear about it.

[dreiwhit]

Things are much different now. The growth of email, social media and non MSM news media (Internet and talk radio) since '94 has allowed gun owners to be more informed and more organized. Back in 1994, you got your news on gun control legislation from the American Rifleman, gun magazines, or Neal Knox's column in Shotgun News. Any news that came out on CNN, NBC, ABC or CBS was slanted to the anti's position and too late to do anything about. Social media has also allowed the word to spread much quicker.

Back then, many people also believed in the fantasy that you didn't need a gun because the government would protect you. I saw a huge shift in attitude after 9/11, when people realized that the goverment COULD NOT protect you - you were own your own.

American's have also "woken up" because they know that the antis want registration and bans, not just bans on cosmetic features like in '94.

This time is also differnet because most people do not trust Obama and the Democrats and do not see them as having the best interest of the country at heart. They wonder if their goal is to disarm Americans and seize power. People despised Clinton, but never with the same intensity as they do Obama.