Questions about the possible Assault Weapon Ban
So, I was watching the news yesterday and they had a 30 second clip of the Attorney General talking about the want to re-implement the Federal Assault Weapon Ban by the new administration. This seems pretty likely to happen in my opinion, so I have a couple of questions. I wasn't old enough the first time around, but how long did it take for the original (1994) act to be passed? How much warning was given? How will the prices of the potentially banned weapons be effected after the act is announced, up to it being passed? Also, what is the deal with owning a previously unbanned weapon during the length of the ban?
The reason I ask is, I am interested in owning one, but not exactly in the near-immediate future... Yet if this ban gets reimplemented, I don't want to have to wait until the next republican president gets elected to be able to purchase one (legally).
(Please also note: I am asking this in the AAG because it will get a lot of views and I know there are many gun owning members. I'm only looking for relatively simple speculative answers to my questions. If you want to discuss the 2nd amendment or the politics of it, please make your own thread in the political/debate forum, I don't want this one locked.)