Isn’t a gun registered when it is purchased, or is this over and above that?
Maybe in California, but not in most other states.
Apart from the defacto registration by the Fed government that comes from the illegal retention of backgound check records, of course.
I think you’re referring to the Form 4473, used when purchasing (most) firearms from a FFL dealer.
This would be above-and-beyond that.
Excellence wrote:As others have pointed out, that depends on the state.
Isn’t a gun registered when it is purchased, or is this over and above that?
There is a NICS (federal background check) at the time of purchase. The law that established that check specifically forbids the Feds from retaining any records from the checks. The Clinton administration ignored this restriction and kept all the records. George W. Bush and his administration destroyed the retained records and did not retain any records during his administration. I haven't seen any executive orders or policies from the Obama administration yet that indicate that they are retaining any records from NICS. It will come, but I don't think that has happened yet.
Where you live a gun is registered when purchased. This would apply those stupid laws to normal states. Yes it’s over and above that.
By Federal law, you fill out a 4473 form for a background check and the transfer is in the “bound book” of the dealer making the transfer (new firearm or firearm transfered over state lines or a used gun purchased from a licensed dealer). The dealer keeps this record and turns it into the ATF when he/she gives up their firearms license.
The government is forbidden to compile this data into a defacto registration system... The FBI was caught doing just that though...
Do they have a way to trace a firearm at least to the original purchaser? Yes.
Do they know every transfer of every firearm and have ready data on the location of firearms and their owners? No.
In California, all handguns are registered at time of purchase (and you're supposed to register your handguns when you move into the state).
Long guns are not currently subject to state registration--just the federal form 4473 as pointed out by many other posters.
It's over and above. Registration is required in some states, but not most. At the federal level the only "registration" is the record of sale, which is kept at the gun dealers. Private party sales, if Bob sells a gun to his coworker Jim, and doesn't do it very often, then their is no "registration". Even that isn't really registration, because the next time the gun changes hands, there will likely be no record, anywhere. Now, there is the Instant Back Ground Check, but by law that is *not supposed* to be used for registration of purchases. Although under AG Holder, I image it will be again as it was before. But even that is like the "yellow sheet" maintained at the dealers, because it only records a dealer sale, and the next sale probably won't be one.
But this bill would require a record of sales be kept by the government, and would require all sales/transfers (other than gifts and inheritances) to go into the database.