I guess I don't have to tell you that if you have want a semi-auto rifle of one of the long 22 cal or short 30 cal varieties for hunting, target shooting, or for home defense, now would be a good time to buy one--if you can find one. Sales are sky-rocketing on speculation that they will be banned soon. It is very likely that the democratic push for a ban will again succeed in the wake of people wanting to blame guns for the recent tragedies. You may even want to buy several and tuck them back for future commerce. When the ban took place under President Clinton, existing inventories and those already in the possession of private citizens were excluded, making them highly sought after and desirable, sending prices through the roof. It was also under President Clinton that many firearms were outlawed for importation--which have never since been allowed--such as those from NORINCO, all true Makarov surplus handguns, and many other military surplus collectibles. It is always interesting how the very threat of banning guns exacerbates and perpetuates the "problem". The net effect is several-fold, but not what the banners intend: 1) Only that it increases the price of well-made variants fitting the description, which may indeed make them less likely to wind up in the hands of law-abiding poor people. 2) Ensures that only criminals and wealthier Americans can afford these guns for legal purposes. 3) Increases the manufacture of cheaply made alternative arms that skirt the law--such as Tech 10's and Mac 9's such as were used at Columbine. 3) Increases the sale of "parts kits" minus one or two parts that actually make a firearm a firearm--which is perfectly legal. 4) Further divides the country regarding legal gun ownership. 5) Promotes theft of firearms among criminals as an even more valuable commodity--leading to more burglaries and greater black-market commerce by gangs and cartels. 6) Increases the flow of firearms from beyond our borders--especially from Mexico, and Central and South America where most of the true machine-guns are found abundantly due to Cold-War stockpiles that have now been compromised. Perhaps the saddest part about this whole charade, is that it further emboldens and empowers the criminal elements, especially organized crime--gangs and cartels--while penalizing legal owners of firearms. IT DOES ZILCH TO CHANGE THE HEARTS OF AMERICANS AND WILL DO NOTHING TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM OF VIOLENCE DUE TO MENTAL ILLNESS (MOST) OR DUE TO FAILED MORALS. I just saw a post on a blog by a gun banner who said that this would NEVER HAPPEN IN CHINA (the school shooting). But in fact this does happen in China too--they simply don't report it in the State-run media. Besides, do we really want to be like China?