Don Foreman writes:

On Sun, 16 Nov 2008 15:29:40 -0700, Joe Pfeiffer
wrote:

"Karl Townsend" writes:

still there, either fake a phone call to the local pd to check the serial
number, see what the "seller" does, or call ahead of time and have pd
meet up with you there... they can run the serial right away...

This is news to me. I knew they did handguns. Are rifles now registered? I'm
certain none of the ones I presently own are. "The kid" is pretty sure its
not hot or i wouldn't touch it. But, i think I'll pass on this deal.

Depends on where you are. Where I live, handguns aren't registered
either; some places, handguns and rifles are both registered.

I wonder if that's really true. If you buy from a FFL dealer, ATF
form 4473 is completed for rifles as well as handguns, and the
make,model and SN are on this form. These forms are kept somewhere.

Legally, they are only to be kept in the gun store. As a practical
matter, "Operation Forward Trace" was used to basically create exactly
the sort of database I'm inferring you're concerned about. See
http://www.gunowners.org/op9609.htm (I don't know the history of
Operation Forward Trace in the years since -- I'd be delighted to hear
a statement that it has been discontinued).

Regardless, if you don't buy from an FFL dealer, the form isn't
completed.