Were Ruger Mini 14s banned in the 1994 Clinton assault weapon ban?

[drpc]

I was wondering if the Mini 14, the rifle used to kill 69 and wound 110 in the 2011 Norway shooting. If I remember correctly it was exempt.

 

[St.Francisville]

AFAIK, only the models that had the flash hider and bayonet lug were banned.

 

[SamNavy]

The Mini-14 is not mentioned by name in the 1994 AWB as one of the 19 specifically affected models.

However, you still had (during the ban), the issue of whether the gun was "PreBan or "PostBan. A PreBan gun that had been converted or modified before the ban to a state that made it an "assault weapon" by including 2 or more of the "evil" items would be legal... but you wanted to be able to prove it. Any "PostBan" gun could not be configured to an assault weapon no matter what.

You can read to your heart's content as to why Bill Ruger "sold out" the average American gun enthusiast with the role he played in the 80's and 90's during the formative years of the AWB. The basic premise is that he worked a deal with lawmakers to keep the Mini-14 off the assault weapon list in exchange for a 15rd mag limit for all firearms... that limit gave Ruger a hefty advantage in the pistol market over Glock and S&W... or so the story goes. The whole thing was before my time, but a lot of guys talk about it like they it was yesterday when he testified in front of Congress and threw us all under the bus. Many, many, people hate the man.

I don't have a dog in the fight, but it makes for interesting reading... it's also important to point out that Bill died in 2002, and his son retired from the Company in 2006. Ruger has been publicly traded for a long time, and the current CEO is all "businessman".
http://www.thegunzone.com/rkba/papabill.html

 

[jdessell]

I always knew he was a sellout. Never knew how bad til I read that.

 

[ChrisK]

Dang, I had no idea. That was before my gun buying days. Crazy. It's all about the green.

 

[Nevarwinter]

but a lot of guys talk about it like they it was yesterday when he testified in front of Congress and threw us all under the bus. Many, many, people hate the man.

Uhm, welcome to guns. There is absolutely ZERO reason for a pre64 Winchester rifle to be worth a dime more than a post 64 winchester rifle, but thanks to the interweb, nitpicking prejudices persist and cost goes up.

That damned Hotchkiss used a triple hammer mechanism instead of the one he used in the cannon pre 1872! That BASTARD! I ain't buying that post 1886 CRAP!

 

[dwr461]

Uhm, welcome to guns. There is absolutely ZERO reason for a pre64 Winchester rifle to be worth a dime more than a post 64 winchester rifle, but thanks to the interweb, nitpicking prejudices persist and cost goes up.

I've been involved with guns for a long time. The pre-64 Winchester Model 70 was considered better before the internet. The post 64 was viewed as a sell out to manufacturing costs. This is before the internet.

Dave

 

[Nevarwinter]

I've been involved with guns for a long time. The pre-64 Winchester Model 70 was considered better before the internet. The post 64 was viewed as a sell out to manufacturing costs. This is before the internet.

Thank you for perfectly illustrating my point.