Gun "Registration"

[monkeylizard]

Two clarifications.
1. Manufacturers are only required to provide a fired case or bullet for a couple of states. It's not important since once you've fired the gun a bit and cleaned it, it will no longer match.
2. There is no Federal registration. Some states register firearms. Stupid law as registered firearms are very rarely used by the legal owner in crimes.

 

1. is no longer true. Maryland was the last one and they recently ended the requirement.

http://www.guns.com/2015/05/13/maryland-scraps-failed-cartridge-casing-mandate-advocated-by-gun-control-groups/

[ma6907]

That probably happened because first owner was contacted and he was the one who sold/traded it to the FFL where your co-worker got it.

 

- OS

It does seem that almost instantly (or certainly within a few days) after a shooting they are able to figure out where the gun was purchased.  I am aware of the law and I know what the "rules" say. but a day or so is pretty quick to figure it out based on ballistics.  I suspect there are some hidden "other ways" that they are able to trace the firearms.(obviously not in an off the record deal, but if an FFL is involved, they seem to know it awful quickly for there to be "no federal records")

[Omega]

It does seem that almost instantly (or certainly within a few days) after a shooting they are able to figure out where the gun was purchased.  I am aware of the law and I know what the "rules" say. but a day or so is pretty quick to figure it out based on ballistics.  I suspect there are some hidden "other ways" that they are able to trace the firearms.(obviously not in an off the record deal, but if an FFL is involved, they seem to know it awful quickly for there to be "no federal records")

No, not ballistics; they trace the guns serial number.  It really is quick, at least if the gun was purchased through FFLs.  Ballistically speaking, many weapons can't be traced back to original owners, only connected to other cases or if they have the weapon then maybe to the last FFL purchase and only if the barrel has not been changed since then. 

[Hershmeister]

It does seem that almost instantly (or certainly within a few days) after a shooting they are able to figure out where the gun was purchased. I am aware of the law and I know what the "rules" say. but a day or so is pretty quick to figure it out based on ballistics. I suspect there are some hidden "other ways" that they are able to trace the firearms.(obviously not in an off the record deal, but if an FFL is involved, they seem to know it awful quickly for there to be "no federal records")

Its not really that hard to run a trace when the firearm is in the possession of law enforcement. Most all manufacturer records today are computerized, as well as a large number of FFLs.


They call the manufacturer with the serial #
The manufacturer can then tell them what FFL they sold it to. Then the FFL is contactEd and does the same look up.

Most firearms are not resold multiple times so generally these two steps are sufficient.

If a private sale occurred then the detectives will contact the original purchaser and on ir goes.

The better question to ask is what useful information actually is provides based on these searches? None really

[monkeylizard]

As was pointed out above, even if the FFL's records are all paper, the manufacturer/distributor has a specific date when it was sent to the FFL. This gives the LEO and FFL a point to start in the paper records at the FFL's site (or at the BATFE warehouse if the FFL is out of business). Unless an FFL has inventory sitting for long periods of time, the 4473 should be located pretty quickly.

[Shudy]

    Actually the ATF has a form that law enforcement uses.  It is called a ATF National Tracing Center Trace Request.  Law Enforcement uses the trace as an investigative tool.  My understanding is that it is traced ONLY to the original purchaser of the firearm.  Law enforcement has to run down that owner and so forth till they find the last person that owned the firearm.  I have never known law enforcement tracing a firearm down by going through the manufacturer but I am sure it may have been done.  Remember that most firearms now are being sold though distributors instead of directly from manufacturers. So Manufacturers may only be able to tell where the gun went to not directly who it sold too.  I will say this that Glocks have numbers on them other than the serial numbers and allows them to trace a firearm if the serial number has been taken off. You can google the ATF tracing form and look at it but remember it is to be used by authorized persons only.   

Edited October 13, 2015 by Shudy

[tartanphantom]

Unless the OP has a singularly nefarious intent (which I certainly hope is NOT the case), the point of all this is moot.

In terms of a nationwide confiscation scenario, the results would be disastrous, no matter who has access to the 4473 records. Yes, the scenario in the video is hypothetical, but well thought out.

 

https://youtu.be/bnoFKskvSq4

Edited October 13, 2015 by tartanphantom

[rmiddle]

Is destroying the records required by law? If so, who is well known for not doing that?

You think that state or Federal officials that are required by law to destroy records would risk their jobs or jail by not doing what is required by law? Who are they and why would they do that?

 

Laziness and ineptitude.  My mother use to work for the Army Corp of Engineers.  She had files that had retention dates meaning some she need to keep for 7 years and other they were never suppose to be destroyed.  When a file she couldn't destroy was no longer needed they sent it a warehouse where they were supposed to be stored so she could retrieve them later.  The only time she asked for one of those files back they couldn't find it.

 

Thanks

Robert