Serial number privacy question...

[Guest nosnos]

I tried to search and couldn't find any previous posts about this. I'm sure if they exist someone will point them out...

Is there any reason not to post a picture on the internet of a gun I own where the serial number is visible? Can anyone imagine a situation where this could lead to a problem? Is it something I should be concerned about at all or not?

Thanks!

[nightrunner]

If your tinfoil hat is a size or two too small you might want to cover it up, otherwise, no problem.

[Guest nosnos]

Ha ha.. It's cinched down pretty tight.. Getting tighter by the day.

But I've posted pictures up before. Just somebody asked me if it was a bad idea and I couldn't think of any reason why it would be.

Gun identity theft, you know? Fastest growing crime out there..

[G27]

I'm thinking it would be pretty easy for someone to make life difficult for you by reporting it stolen.

[Guest 1817ak47]

I'm thinking it would be pretty easy for someone to make life difficult for you by reporting it stolen.

agreed since there is no registered wonership title etc like that ofa car or home

[CrazyRay]

I'm thinking it would be pretty easy for someone to make life difficult for you by reporting it stolen.

And I could easily make life VERY difficult for them as soon as it is easily shown they just filed a false police report.

Let's assume I post a picture here of one of my weapons, serial number easily visible.

What is someone gonna do? Call the Brentwood police and say "CrazyRay" stole my xxxxxxxx, serial number yyyyyy? What is the rest of their story for how I magically stole their gun? Maybe I don't even live in Brentwood proper? I'm pretty sure my TN DL doesn't say "Crazy Ray" either

But hey.. maybe I'm wrong? If anyone can lay out a scenario of how a situation like this could play out and have the actual picture-posting gun owner get burned, I'm all ears.

[strickj]

^^^ Stuff like that has happened.

Just because you think the internet gives anonymity, doesn't make it so....

[Guest bkelm18]

Who cares? If someone wants the extra layer of security of hiding your S/Ns, go right ahead. If you don't, then don't.

[Guest 1817ak47]

not saying you can't prove it's yours, but you likely don't want to be arrested and then have to pay your bail out of jail and then a lawyer to prove your innocence. as that can very easily happen if you get a few bad officers

[Guest 6.8 AR]

If you bought it through a FFL , instead of an individual, that number is logged in his

papers. Someone reporting my receiver or gun as a stolen item could easily backfire on them. I have a list of mine(lowers) and where and when they were bought. One purchased through an individual, and that individual reports it stolen is a good reason to always get a receipt. Err on the side of your safety with ID marks and serial numbers. There are some devious bastiches out there.

[G27]

But hey.. maybe I'm wrong? If anyone can lay out a scenario of how a situation like this could play out and have the actual picture-posting gun owner get burned, I'm all ears.

I never said you'd go to jail, or anything else, just saying it could make life difficult for you.

No point in laying out specifically how something could happen, just saying it's prudent to hide them numbers, imo.

But hey, go ahead and post your serial numbers in your sigfile - no skin off my nose.

[CrazyRay]

not saying you can't prove it's yours, but you likely don't want to be arrested and then have to pay your bail out of jail and then a lawyer to prove your innocence. as that can very easily happen if you get a few bad officers

So you actually think I can be arrested based on nothing more than someone knowing the serial number to one of my guns?

Please people... either share specific instances of this stuff happening or stop typing this stuff like it actually happens that way

[Volzfan]

I would think that it would be easier for someone to cause you problems if the gun had come thru a private sale since there would not be an FFL that had the record of the sale to you. But if it was bought thru an FFL then he has the record of the sale and it would be easy to prove that you are the rightful owner.

In a private sale there is no way to know how many have owned that gun.

I would think that the Police would question why he didn't report it stolen at the time that he claimed that it left his possession rather than when he claims that he has seen his gun online.

It is basically up to you. I don't post pictures of my guns with the Serial# but I also have never heard of anyone who had a problem when they did. This is where the tinfoil hat comes into the picture.

[CrazyRay]

I never said you'd go to jail, or anything else, just saying it could make life difficult for you.

No point in laying out specifically how something could happen, just saying it's prudent to hide them numbers, imo.

So you can't or won't detail HOW it could happen, you just want to continue to insist that is can happen... cause you said so?

Forgive me if I don't put much stock in that line of thinking.

Consider it an exercise in critical thinking, if you will.

Assume you have the serial number to one of my guns, and the information posted about me here on TGO.

What exactly could happen, should you decide to claim that gun belongs to YOU?

-Do you just call up the police station and report the gun as stolen by some internet guy in Brentwood, presumably named "Ray"?

-HOW did I steal your gun?

-When did it go missing?

-Where/when did YOU buy it?

-Did I break into your house, or did you just lose it in a boating accident?

-If you claim I broke into your house or car - why was there no police report?

-How do you know "CrazyRay" stole your gun?

-Can YOU prove chain of ownership?

-Can you in any way prove to the police that the gun us YOURS, not mine?

At this point, you would have to fabricate a story to ALL of that, enough so that you convince the police they need to contact the admins here at TGO to reveal who I am, for the police to pay me a visit.

IMHO - that is about as far as this is gonna get. Because once the police come knock on my door - you are placing an awful lot on the assumptions that I have poor purchasing documentation, don't keep receipts, etc. For all you know, I may have my FFL on speed dial and can verify chain og ownership in mere minutes.

And assuming I am able to verify chain of ownership, you are now guilty of filing at least one false police report of theft, and likely a few other charges in there as well once the police realize what you just tried.

So you really think it's worth all of that, with all of those assumptions, to effectively steal a sub-$1000 gun you saw on the internet? Is that really something you think a criminal would risk for such a petty return? They would have better odds trying to mug someone on the street.

[G27]

It's called decaf, my man.

Do whatever floats your boat, I couldn't care less. You're obviously certain nothing could ever happen to cause any undue stress in your life in any way shape form or fashion from it, so go ahead and post 'em in your sigfile.

Not going to argue with you over it, just stating my opinion. Have fun.

[CrazyRay]

It's called decaf, my man.

Do whatever floats your boat, I couldn't care less. You're obviously certain nothing could ever happen to cause any undue stress in your life in any way shape form or fashion from it, so go ahead and post 'em in your sigfile.

Not going to argue with you over it, just stating my opinion. Have fun.

Again, forgive me if I don't put much stock in these types of "drive by" posts, like yours. If you're gonna say it can happen, don't run scared when someone asks you to defend your position.

[Guest nosnos]

Ha ha.. After reading that last post I'm going to assume that you do indeed have your FFL on speed-dial.

Thanks for the conversation, fellas.

Ha ha... decaf. Classic.

[CrazyRay]

Ha ha.. After reading that last post I'm going to assume that you do indeed have your FFL on speed-dial.

Crap... now that I think about it - I guess I do