all the existing assault weapons were grandfathered in, as they should be since we cannot have/enforce laws ex-post-facto. that, however, made the sale legal to third parties. in the 90s you could go to any gun show and buy assault rifles still, and legally.

this is the same issue with any ban or strict regulation. we have enough guns for generations and generations to have a huge surplus.

the only things that would be meaningful would entail either a radical re-interpretation of the Second Amendment by the Supreme Court or a huge shift in our, gulp, our "cultural paradigm," or whatever buzz word you want to describe our attitudes, decisions and approach toward guns. In other words, don't hold your breath. Ain't shit gonna change.