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Originally Posted by jmr40
The 1994-2004 AWB had a big influence on handgun design. With a 10 round limit it didn't make sense to own a gun designed to hold 13, 15, or 17 rounds. This is a big reason why the 40 S&W came to dominate during that time. A G23 held 13 rounds traditionally and a G19 held 15 rounds. If most people were going to be limited to 10 rounds anyway most of them opted to go with a larger caliber in the same size gun. Had it not been for the AWB I have my doubts that 40 S&W would have become so dominate. It took a few years, but since the ban has expired the 9mm has slowly pushed the 40S&W aside.
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I'm going to have to disagree with you there. If anything, the popularity of .40 S&W was due to its adoption by Law Enforcement agencies across the United States. I'm sure that the AWB certainly helped its popularity, but if it were the main reason then its popularity would have plummeted promptly in 2004 when the AWB ended. The .40 S&W remained popular right up until the FBI dropped it and police began following suit, over a decade after the AWB ended.
Honestly, how many times have you seen this statement made in gun forums online? "If it's good enough for [insert authority here] it's good enough for me."
Many Second Amendment supporters aren't really Firearms Enthusiasts, they're just people who carry firearms for self-defense, and thus many of them base their decisions of what they will carry based on whether the police are carrying rather than devote time researching firearms/cartridges in order to find the best option for themselves.
If the .40 S&W was popular for any peripheral reason aside from its own merits, then it's because police carried it, not because of the AWB.