I have been a firm believer in "working within the system" to alter the political course in favor of gun rights. But Bush thinks he has "paid off" 2A advocates by appointing Ashcroft and then having him make his little letter to the NRA public. So far, its all just rhetoric. I agree 100% that the sunsetting of the Federal AW ban is THE single most important goal of ALL the gunnies in the country. Getting rid of that worthless piece of crap will be the beginning of some real roll-backs in unconstitutional gun laws. If we cannot convince Bush et al, that this is a good idea, and if we cannot muster the support in Congress to make it happen, then we are in for a steady decline to the ultimate insult: national licensing/registration/confiscation. The writing is on the wall.