How to determine if a weapon is stolen or if registered prior to buying

[Len-2A Training]

what about stolen smart guns?
do they need to be registered?

No, if they are smart guns, they are smart enough to register themselves!

I'll bet that this registry is about as accurate as the NFA registry. Do you think that the Boston cops, after taking a gun from a gangbanger, will bother to report it to ATF? Jack.

Knowing what I know wrt how PDs operate, my guess is that they probably don't spend much time looking for the rightful owners wrt guns, unless it is to jack them up on some charges. I've even seen some license plates in the PD's "lost & found", with no known attempt to contact the owner!

 

[gregs]

Don't do that.

Ya going to walk away from that one. Dam nice pistol too.

 

[EJFudd]

There are a number of stolen gun serial number report & search websites. Google is your friend.

Probably none of them are anywhere near complete, but what the heck? Might be worth checking anyway.

 

[George D]

Ya going to walk away from that one. Dam nice pistol too.

In that case, go to an FFL and have them transfer it, as long as it is able to be transferred in MA (that's a whole different thread).

 

[drgrant]

How could you fill out an efa-10 if seller has no permit? Don't do it.

You could file it as a registration. The problem with this is that (at least) the seller is in legal peril by this. I doubt the buyer really would be (as they've reported their "acquisition of the gun that fell from the sky" but the seller is definitely not, and I'm pretty sure there is a law against an unlicensed resident selling a firearm to anyone but (or via) a licensed dealer.

This is a spin/variant of a "fun" legal question that comes up from time to time. If you find a gun on your property somewhere, and you have no idea who owns it, or cannot locate the owner, is it yours? Most people I know either "borrow it from the anonymous person indefinitely" or the more legally concious just choose to register it on an FA-10. What about an abandoned gun? Say for example you have a roommate that moves out and leaves behind a shotgun he got somewhere. You call him up and he tells you that he doesn't give a shit and that you can have it, but he can't do the transfer because he's going to be hiking in tinbuk3 for the next 5 years... so what do you do?

-Mike

 

[jibbr71]

This is a spin/variant of a "fun" legal question that comes up from time to time. If you find a gun on your property somewhere, and you have no idea who owns it, or cannot locate the owner, is it yours? Most people I know either "borrow it from the anonymous person indefinitely" or the more legally concious just choose to register it on an FA-10. What about an abandoned gun? Say for example you have a roommate that moves out and leaves behind a shotgun he got somewhere. You call him up and he tells you that he doesn't give a shit and that you can have it, but he can't do the transfer because he's going to be hiking in tinbuk3 for the next 5 years... so what do you do?

-Mike

You move to NH, where zerofux are given about transfers between non-licensees, and love your newly adopted gun like it was yours all long. I try not to shit in these threads about the ridiculousness in MA, but god I feel bad for you guys.

 

[Smash05]

You don't. Also whether or not it has been "registered" in MA is NOT RELEVANT to legal ownership. EVER. Period, end, full stop. Just flush that shit out of your brain, PLEASE.

-Mike

This a thousand times this.