Aren't we already registering our weapons each time we buy a new firearm?

[Cascade_fisher]

My understanding is that Form 4473 is required to be held on site of the purchase (or at least in the seller's control) for 10 years.  The NICS call is only information on the individual, not the firearm(s) being purchased.

[magnanimous_j]

So, .... when an FFL'er calls for a NIC check on someone..... exactly what information is given? Just personal info or is also information on the firearm you are purchasing given?

Lee

That's the million dollar question. When I worked at Sports Authority behind the gun counter, part of my job was to maintain the records. They were complete records of gun purchases. Names, addresses, Social Security, serial numbers, all of it.

We would fax a copy to corporate and every once in a while a courier would come around for the original copy of this or that.

I promise that Sports Authority would not waste 1/10th of a second surrendering that info to the government if they asked for it. So it may not have been a Firearms Database, but it functioned like one.

So you guys would have stacks of records with complete personal information on it, and every now and then a 'courier' would show up and take them away?

More or less. The records were in a locked storeroom. Every once in a while (maybe 4 or 5 times in the 2.5 years I worked there), corporate would call and tell us to prepare specific records. We would make sure they were complete and we put them in a special envelope with a plastic safety seal with a serial number on it.  The next day a guy would come back and ask for those exact records. 99.9% of the records were permanently stored on site.

Management told us they were records that had been requested by the government for one reason or another.

[Machias]

Management told us they were records that had been requested by the government for one reason or another.

Those are the records of guys that were on HuntWa talking about overthrowing the US Government. 

[Heredoggydoggy]

So....When a gun is stolen, how do they know who the "registered" owner is so they can return it?  By "registered" I mean the "original purchaser"  Sounds like an ownership database to me 

When the LE get a gun, all they can do at that point is ask the gun manufacturer what Distributor the gun went to.  They then contact the Distributor and find out which gun shop the gun went to.  They then contact the gun shop to get the name of the original purchaser.  That's as far as the paper trail leads.  I know several guys that got guns back that were either stolen or sold, because they were the "Owner of Record".  I know a couple of people who have 2 of the same gun because they had one stolen, and after buying another one, Police recovered the stolen one and returned it to him.

[longstevo]

Management told us they were records that had been requested by the government for one reason or another.

Huh......

[jyerxa]

I answered my phone one day and it was an investigator looking for my son. I think he was a military type. Army. I'll have to ask my son. My son had bought a shot gun and sold it later. All in Washington. The gun ended up in some ones hands in the South. Texas maybe and had been involved in a crime. This inspector was following the gun trail for some reason and my son was the original owner. The inspector also knew my son was not involved. 

[Alchase]

Management told us they were records that had been requested by the government for one reason or another.

Those are the records of guys that were on HuntWa talking about overthrowing the US Government. 

No, just those with pics showing Nate Steelhead out of water
 

 

[netcoyote]

I know that the NCIC paperwork goes no where, that it stays with the FFL that does the sell.  The gentleman who stole my father's firearm was never found in possession of said firearm.  I do believe though, I could be wrong, that does happen now and again, that when a sell is done, the info on the form is verbally transmitted to the person on the other end of the phone line.  That includes firearm information.  I also know that the fed's say that that information is purged.  Well they also say we were never in Cambodia either. 

Another possibility is that your father may have sent a manufacturers warrantee card in and the LEO called the manufacturer to disclose the original buyer's identification.

[sirmissalot]

I found two pistols in a backpack up in the woods last year. Turns out they were left there on accident by the kid after him and the father were shooting. Turned them into the sherif about miday and they were returned to the owner that night, sherif told me he just looked up the registered owner by the serial numbers... call me ignorant but I honestly thought when you purchase a new firearm from an FFL dealer that firearm is registered to you? Or am I missing something?

[kirkl]

I also has a pistol stolen and about 8 years later i get a call from some police agency saying they found a pistol registered to me through the serial number. Its already been 6 or 7 years since that call. Ask me if ive ever gotten that pistol back

[lokidog]

All the government has to do is ask (with a warrant if they want to pretend to follow the laws of the nation) any of these FFLs with their records to turn them over and they will do so, bing, bang, boom, registration complete.  That is why they are so intent on getting private sales to have background checks.

[netcoyote]

All the government has to do is ask (with a warrant if they want to pretend to follow the laws of the nation) any of these FFLs with their records to turn them over and they will do so, bing, bang, boom, registration complete.  That is why they are so intent on getting private sales to have background checks.

So how do they know WHICH FFL to ask? Sure they could start in the area you live, but what if you live in Forks and bought a gun new in Spokane 12 years ago? Do they send out a blanket search order to every FFL in the state? ...in the country?

[woodswalker]

Remember also, there is a WA state pistol registry....handguns have to be reported if sold through an FFL...long guns...not so much.

[turkeyfeather]

My understanding is that Form 4473 is required to be held on site of the purchase (or at least in the seller's control) for 10 years.  The NICS call is only information on the individual, not the firearm(s) being purchased.

That's not true. The serial number of the gun you purchased is recorded on the form. I have on several occasions heard the FFL read off the serial number when calling NICS.

[JJD]

Not required and not done, two different things.
Even Cabelas tracks your ammo purchases if you purchase with credit card.
I know this because they asked me to review some ammo I bought there.  Not sure I like anyone tracking what type and how much ammo I purchase.  Cash from now on.