The AWB brought out the darker side of humanity. Scumbag dealers demanding $2,300 for a rifle that was $700....
And no, it wasn't demand. I would see these "pre-bans" always languishing on the shelves for years, yes - same gun on the shelf for years until it sells for these rape prices to some gullible buyer.
They would be segregated from the other post-ban AR's on the shelves and treated as queens.
I was at a gunshow just 1 week after the AWB expired, and dealers were still peddling these outrageously priced "pre-ban" rifles....
The glass-cases filled with 100+ 17rd Glock mags were still $130 per mag. They used to be $16.
Hey, I'm not against the concept of supply and demand, yes...decreasing supply and increased demand for something not around anymore will drive prices up.
My problem is with the fact that a lot of dealers LOVED the ban since it doubles the profit of their inventory. To me, morally, they are no different than a gun-grabber.
Anyway, I do remember AR magazines topping out at around $25 per mag a couple of years before the ban expired. Not a bad price compared to other magazines. Still, these used to be $9 ....but at least they weren't $50-$100 ea. The new 'high' capacity pre-ban magazines dried up around late 2002...
Rest assured, if a new ban seems imminent - you *think* you'll be able to buy anything? LOL.... these opportunist dealers will pull their stock off the shelves or change their websites to "out of stock" and put them back out after the ban at 3x the price at least. These guys are going to put in mass orders and clean out the distributors first.