I thought that one of the forms (4473?) contained that info but I could be wrong as it has been some time since I’ve had to complete those forms.
Yes, Vermont or Alaska style is the preferred way to go.
As to your original point, we will likely win back our rights just as we lost them, one step at a time, but that is no reason to stop calling for a complete restoration all at once. The (and I hate to use the word) extremes define the middle. As long as some of the grabbers are calling for a complete ban, for us not to call for a complete restoration would be fool hearty and even negligent.
Every gun bought from an FFL is recorded as part of the "permanent record" of the FFL. When the FFL finally goes out of businesses, those records are turned over to the BATFE.
Every gun bought from an FFL can be traced from the manufacturer to the first purchaser, and, in places like Kalifornia, to every later purchaser, unless the purchaser violates the law.
There's more than enough information to drive an initial wave of confiscations and it is likely that the vast majority of people who own even one gun have bought at least one through an FFL. This number will only increase with time.