Track a firearm

[Porter Rockwell]

I’m curious how the current “system” works. Follow this scenario.

John buys a gun at a local firearms store. He keeps it for a few years and then trades it in at a different gun store. This gun store keeps it on the shelf for a few months and then sells it to Doug and files an additional form 4473 for the transfer. Doug keeps it for a while, he doesn’t like it and sells it on ODT. The gun goes through a few private transactions and ends up being used in a crime and the police locate the gun.

Questions :
1) Is there a computer tracking system that will show every time that serial number is placed on a form 4473?

2) Will a police search show both transactions at each store? Will they contact both John and a Doug trying to locate the criminal?

3) Obviously private transactions do not need a bill of sale and law enforcement would have to contact each owner along the way to find the end user criminal. Right?

The gun law debate can get stuck on the private sale of firearms and the wrongfully described “ gun show “ loophole. And I am concerned that sites like ODT will be the target of further legislation. I like to be an informed and not an ignorant gun law debater, and I really don’t know how things currently work.

 

[Cornholio]

Damn 28 min. Is a record for the know it all's here not to reply

 

[Cornholio]

I would have replied but I wanted to get my smartass comments in first

 

[Cornholio]

No,no,yes,yes

 

[jeep78]

Supposedly not. But......the ATF is not "supposed" to copy every 4473 at each FFL every 6 weeks, either.

 

[ttp328]

Law enforcement with a known serial number can request an E-trace from ATF that will provide the original FFL the firearm was shipped to from the wholesaler or manufacturer. This can take a couple of months in itself. The original FFL would have to provide John's paperwork to LE (Law Enforcement). LE would then try to locate John and determine if he had the firearm or disposed of it. John identifies shop #2 as where he sold the firearm. LE goes there and requests their 4473 for the sale and identifies Doug. LE can try to locate Doug and work to determine what happened with the firearm. Doug sold it in a parking lot 2 years ago, end of the trail for the most part. No 4473's are kept in a massive database, they are required to be kept locally by ATF. Only when a FFL goes out of business do they or they used to require then all 4473's be sent to ATF. Requiring the local FFL to keep all paperwork provides ATF with a free filing system maintained at no cost to them. A variable would be if the firearm is ever pawned it can be traced much easier by LE as there is a state pawn database for every item regardless of value taken into a pawn shop.

 

[Cornholio]

Law enforcement with a known serial number can request an E-trace from ATF that will provide the original FFL the firearm was shipped to from the wholesaler or manufacturer. This can take a couple of months in itself. The original FFL would have to provide John's paperwork to LE (Law Enforcement). LE would then try to locate John and determine if he had the firearm or disposed of it. John identifies shop #2 as where he sold the firearm. LE goes there and requests their 4473 for the sale and identifies Doug. LE can try to locate Doug and work to determine what happened with the firearm. Doug sold it in a parking lot 2 years ago, end of the trail for the most part. No 4473's are kept in a massive database, they are required to be kept locally by ATF. Only when a FFL goes out of business do they or they used to require then all 4473's be sent to ATF. Requiring the local FFL to keep all paperwork provides ATF with a free filing system maintained at no cost to them. A variable would be if the firearm is ever pawned it can be traced much easier by LE as there is a state pawn database for every item regardless of value taken into a pawn shop.

This

 

[Kahrnut]

It protects you.

 

[ttp328]

Oh, I forgot to add that when Doug sold the firearm in the parking lot, three months later it was stolen from that person when he left it in his unlocked pickup at Home Depot while just running in for a minute to pick up grass seed.

 

[Kahrnut]

jazz cabbage