[rarestia]

When the ban expires, high cap mags will be 100% legal. You can already have folding stocks, etc, but they can only be 1 part of 2 "menacing" features of the gun. I've got an SAR1 AK, and I've got one of those "menacing" Monte Carlo stocks. So I can only add one more "menacing" feature (like a flash suppressor) to keep it legal. The US parts count has to be all but 2 non-US parts. When it expires, fill that AK with Russian/Turkish/Egyptian/Chinese/Albanian/whatever parts and it's still 100% legal.

The entire point here: Why were these banned in the first place?! What does it matter of the receiver is Chinese, the stocks are Russian and the trigger groups are American? It still shoots 7.62x39 ammo. It still fires one shot per pull of the trigger. What a joke! Praise the Lord for Senators with their heads on straight.

[templar]

This is an interesting question. Converting to the requisite number of American made parts may still be required. I think it would depend on whether altering the item from its original configuration under which it was legally imported, without conforming to the imported/domestic part percentage requirements, would make it to be considered an illegally imported firearm if the parts used in the conversion are also imported.

I'm pretty certain that the high cap mags would become legal though. In any event I wouldn't try it till I had contacted the BATF for clarification (you can generally write them and they will respond with an answer, I don't know how long it takes now but it used to be fairly prompt).

[Kadric]

Imported firearms were not effected by the '94 Ban. They fall under the '89 EO issued by the first Bush as not suitable for sporting purposes. So you would still need to maintain the parts count. You would be able to install the items prohibited by the '94 ban if the parts count would not consider it a imported firearm (no more than 10 imported listed parts for that model). Here is the list for Aks.

Receiver
Barrel
Trunion 1
Bolt Bolt Carrier
Gas Piston
Trigger / Sear
Hammer
Disconnector
Stock
Forearm
Pistol Grip
Magazine Body
Follower
Floorplate
Muzzle Attachment
Notes: 1 Only on stamped receiver

[RicocheT]

After the ban expires, just buy a new AK style semi auto. The price will be lower than the parts you are thinking about.

The only reason the older ones were expensive and the magazines were pricey was the ban or the threat of the ban. These firearms are cheap to make and import without the ban.

Better yet, forget them and buy a better made rifle that you can be proud of owning and pass down to a son or daughter. Something with nice wood, nice machined parts and designed with aesthetics in mind rather than mass production.

[Duke809]

My understanding is that AK mags and certain parts will not fit a Saiga. Per a gun shop here in Jersey, the Saiga was designed to get around the AK loophole, yet still give you a basic AK (sans pistol grip, very evil exposed gas tube, mags, muzzle brakes and supressors)

[Kadric]

This also depends on where you live. Some States have their own ban which will not sunset when the Federal one does.

The Saiga will not accept the high capacities as imported but if you are interested I can post a link to a site that tells you how to convert them.

[mushroom]

The "assault" weapons ban concerned the manufacture or importation of weapons with certain characteristics. I see nothing that says such weapons are illegal pe se. Thus potentially banned weapons manufactured before 9/13/94 are still available and legal.

In other words, there doesn't appear to be anything in the existing law to keep you from modifying your weapon to any configuration you desire provided you use legal parts.

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

I feel FR is fine for the discussion on the politics of guns, but not of guns. I have been guilty of doing so in the past, but have resolved in the future to not.

I am a lifetime gun owner, and the wife owns more than I do. When I have a question or seek to discuss guns, I go to one of the hundreds of gun sites found on the web. Many of those sites request personal politics be left at the door.

Maybe on FR we should just leave our personal guns at the door. Why give the lurking antis ammo to try and link FR to guns, nuts and right wing militia kooks.

FYI, Nomex underalls are on for flaming.

[MrB]

Fineswine, et al, are going to have a nightmare on their hands if the AWB is allowed to sunset.

Even if they get something passed in 2005, there is going to be a period of time when the ban wasn't in effect, so it will be very difficult to prove that something wasn't made/imported in that period of time.

[IYAAYAS]

As the owner of a few evil "assault weapons" which I have modified, I can tell you your best bet is to call or write to the ATF.
I've called them with questions a few times and they were professional and knowledgeable, friendly even!

[Sender]

My understanding is that when the AWB sunsets, manufacturers will be able to make or import weapons with the 'evil' characteristics again, as long as they don't run afoul of the original AW import ban from Bush I in 1989, and of course the NFA concerning full autos, etc.

There is a bit of a gray area concerning all the 'post-ban' rifles made between 1994 and 2004. It would seem that after the AWB sunsets, we can put flash hiders and bayonet lugs and folding stocks and hi-cap mags on them just like a 'pre-ban', but the BATFE will have to clarify the policy on that.

It's a mad, mad world when, in the midst of the war on terror and liberal hordes at the door to the White House, we have to even have this discussion over meaningless bits of metal.

[The KG9 Kid]

As others have said, your foreign-produced rifle will still be required to follow the '10 parts rule'. Yet domestic rifles won't.

If the AWB expires without reauthorization even for a second, but then is reauthorized later at some point, the real problem is going to be determining who has a pre-ban/post-ban rifle with pre-post-ban features.

You've heard of pre-bans and post-bans... Get ready for the 'pre-post-ban-pre-bans'.

If AWB is reauthorized after it expires, today's post-bans pricing will climb through the roof like pre-bans did -- as long as they were pre-post-ban. There's a real business opportunity to be had here.

Do you follow me?

[cinFLA]

Who knows. If in England, probably not.