Chapter 140 sec 128A exempts the lawful resident from notifying the state when they dispose of a gun through an FFL. This certainly throws a wrench into "their lists".
Jon, FRB disagrees with you! Talk with Atty Jason Guida and he'll fill you in. I had a long conversation with him about this some time ago.
DISCLAIMER: This is not a statement of what should be done but rather my observations of what seems to be done.
As I understand the process from a consumer's POV (a MULTI-transaction consumer!), the cycle is this:
1. I buy a gun from a MA FFL - they transfer the gun to me on an FA-10 and log this "out" of their log book. The state now has a record of this gun belonging to me.
2A. I decide to sell this gun to another individual - we execute an FA-10 (or used to be able to) and we distribute the three copies as everyone understands. Both the state and I now have documentation of my receiving and transferring the gun and of the buyer receiving the gun.
2B. I decide to sell/trade the gun back to an FFL - they take it from me and enter it into their log book. I generally get nothing to show this transfer unless I ask for a receipt documenting this. However the state appears to be left out of this transaction (or am I mistaken?).
3A. The FFL sells the gun to another Mass resident - it is reported out on an FA-10 and logged out of the FFL's log book. The state still has documentation of my receiving the gun and now the same for the new buyer BUT how would they know it is my gun since the seller would show as the FFL?
3B. The FFL decides to sell the gun out of state - it is logged out of the FFL's log book and the FFL retains copies of the appropriate documents. But is anything reported to the state? They cannot do an FA-10 (can they) because the purchaser is not a Mass resident.
It seems to be a very cumbersome process to track firearms with as there are several paths where the gun could "disappear" as far as the state is concerned. Again, there may be some actions that the FFL takes of which I am unaware.