I’d like to thank everyone who read and contributed to this post. It’s plain to me now that registration, especially the 4473s and the requirements for make and serial number, is fully in-place, and ready to facilitate confiscation.
Seems like the NRA and whatever GOPers with gonads have some additional work cut out for them...
Ugh.
When conducting a background check in Virginia the only information provided concerning the firearm is the type – rifle, pistol, shotgun, revolver. Nothing more. No manufacturer, caliber, or serial number.
If an unlicensed individual acquires two or more pistols or revolvers during five consecutive business days the dealer submits a Report of Multiple Sale or Other Disposition of Pistols and Revolvers to the ATF and the State Police. This report includes Type firearm, serial number, manufacturer, model, importer, and caliber. It also includes the name, address sex, ethnicity, race, type of identification and ID number, birth date, and place of birth.
The ATF 4473 contains all this information and is retained by the dealer until he goes out of business. The 4473s are then sent to the ATC.
Occasionally the dealer will receive a call from ATF asking that a copy of the 4473 be sent to them. ATF provides firearm description and serial number and an estimated date the firearm was transferred. One can assume these are traces of stolen firearms or firearms found at a crime scene. Who knows.
From the Virginia State Police website:
What are the laws concerning the private sale of a handgun?
To privately sell a firearm, it is recommended that you safeguard information pertaining to the transaction such as the date the firearm was sold, the complete name and address of the buyer, and the make, model, and serial number of the firearm. The seller and buyer of a handgun must be a resident of the state in which the transfer occurs. Should the firearm ever be located at a crime scene, trace of the firearm will determine the licensed dealer who last sold the firearm and will identify the last buyer of the firearm. To have your name removed from this process, you may consider placing your firearm on consignment with a licensed dealer. This will also ensure that the firearm is transferred only to a lawfully eligible individual.