AWB - Assault Weapons Ban
BATF - Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
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AWB=Assualt Weapons Ban.
Clinton's 1984 ban didnt actually ban assualt weapons, it banned semi auto weapons that were based on or resembled actual assualt weapons. It also banned certain features from being added to firearms that where cosmetic in nature.
True assault weapons remained legal and taxed the entire time the ban was in place.
BATF=Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The BATF targets legal gun owners, misrepresents gun laws and interprets the laws on a day by day case by case basis. Linky.
Cool, thanks!
Blue, you missed the year.....1994.
To elaborate on the AWB, just compare one of Blue's weapons (AK-47 semi-automatic clone) with one of the weapons I used to have:
Blue's AK-47 semi auto clone......pistol grip stock (bad), provisions for mounting a bayonet (bad) Flash supressor (bad) and the possibility of using high capacity magazines (bad)
But, appearances aside, it still fires a relatively low powered cartridge, and is useful from a military standpoint mainly because they can take a beating and still fire. The Soviet military no longer uses the weapon, they've moved on to better weapons.
Compared with a hunting rifle I used to have, a Browning BAR......
No appearance issues, looks like a normal hunting rifle, which it is, and fires a much higher powered cartridge than blue's AK.....blue's AK under the AWB=bad, my hunting rifle is perfectly legal.
Pure legislative feel good BS, accomplished nothing, but looked good to the constituents.
I personally have never liked guns, I don't even like to look at them, however I tend to agree with my husband, who is (much to my dismay) a gun collector...
'guns don't kill people....people kill people'
It makes sense, people were killing people long before guns were invented, and would continue to do so, just with different means, even if every gun on the entire planet was melted down.
Thanks for the catch on the year LH, now I dont need to edit the post.
All 3 of my SAR1's were bought during the AWB, so none of them have the bayonet lug, or any sort of muzzle attatchment as the barrels arent threaded (yet). My rifles where legislated purely based on appearance.
Legal full auto/3 round burst assualt weapons were unaffected by the ban. Illegal full auto/3 round bust assualt rifles were also unaffected by the ban.
Blue, I will give the AWB this.......it did away with Calico .22's........for the betterment of all.
:p
They're a pleasant plinker when they work.......however the magazines were picky as hell, and misfires, which weren't uncommon, were particularly unpleasant.
Here's a question for ya.
Say you were a single woman, living alone, in a city that has pretty much crime. What type of handgun would you recommend for personal safety reasons? Assuming that they would also take courses in how to handle a handgun as well.
Jenn, I wouldn't recommend a handgun for you, with your history of depression and your struggles with your meds. Nothing personal, okay?
I was raised with guns in the house, and my dad always impressed on me that owning a gun without a lot of training can just give you false confidence, and make yourself more likely to get hurt. After all, if someone broke in to your place A) they'd likely trip over one of the cats running to greet them and hurt themselves that way and B) If you say to a criminal "Stop or I'll shoot" which being a decent person might be your first instinct, a criminal will shoot you without giving you the same warning.
Feel free, though to get "NRA member" stickers for your front door or windows, just to give anyone pause who is considering trouble. After all, a cat's meow is NOT the deterrent a large dog's bark would be, no matter how fierce the meow!
I have ADT stickers, lol. Not that they will stop someone, but they might give more thought to breaking in than without them. ;)
Any recommendation would be entirely situational. A self-defense weapon is not a one size fits all item. What would work for me wouldn't necessarily work for Blue, or Karen, etc.
Jenn, even though it was a hypothetical question you could find a local firing range that gives firearm safety and training courses. The class and training could make you more comfortable being around firearms and people carrying firearms. It would also give you personal experience to pick a firearm you are most comfortable with, without actually owning one.