Good catch. I was wondering the same thing myself. Theoretically, the state only records transfers and does not register guns. I have quite a few guns that I legally possess that I'm 99% sure don't appear in their database. Am I now supposed to spend $$ to get a printout from them showing what they think I own and "register" anything that doesn't appear in their database?
It sure smells like gun registration to me.
[. . . and to your comment in the Rep you left for me - thanks.
]
I'm with you on this.
A little history . . .
- Back ~2000 or so, BATFE invited all FFLs to a meeting at a college in Worcester where they went over the record-keeping stuff and gave the floor to Chief Glidden and FRB Director Bill Pickett. As a C&R FFL I was invited and attended.
- When Bill Pickett spoke, he handed out some sort of registration cards and suggested that everyone register all their guns with their local PD . . . just in case.
I think (but don't fully recall) that he also suggested registering any guns with CHSB if you weren't sure if they were registered in the computerized system (1986 for Dealer transfers, 1998 for FTF).
- Jason Guida, current Director of FRB implied that it would be a "good thing" to register all your guns, even if not required by law, last week as well.
I have to laugh, because I'm one of those law-abiding folks that believes that the less data you give gov't the better off I will be. So, if it is actually required by law, fine, otherwise go away and don't bother me.
So with that understanding, one can understand why they INTENTIONALLY worded the instructions to strongly imply that all the sheep should do this so that their database will grow bigger. Yes, it will improve accuracy, but most of us have no desire to register all our worldly goods with the gov't!!