Is it legal to carry a gun not registered in your name?

Got me. I live in Maine, AMERICA. We don't have gun registration here so I can carry whatever I want. It doesn't matter if I bought it, borrowed it, whatever.

Did you purchase from a private seller? I don't think even dealers can check if a gun is stolen. They can only run individuals through NICS. You can check with your local PD or Sherriff's Dept.

I own a few firearms not "registered" to me.

As in, they were made prior to serial numbers being mandatory.

I wouldn't worry about it, unless you have a stolen firearm. In which case, you wouldn't be asking about it on a public web forum anyways.

Oh and regarding registration, it depends on what state you reside in. There's only a couple that require registration.

Beats me. Here in Free AZ there is no gun registration. The only thing a serial number is good for here is tracking an individual firearm - but it can't be used to link the weapon to any specific person.

Depends on where you live, and your state laws. Guns aren't registered here in Florida, and as I understand it, as long as buyer and seller are both Florida residents, anybody who legally owns a gun can sell it to anyone legally able to own a gun without having to go through a FFL dealer.

OP, there is no registraition unless it's at a state level and I doubt Utah has it. A LEO shouldn't run your numbers unless he has a cause to or you ask them to (like before buying a questionable used gun, or finding a gun). When he runs it all that will show is if it is REPORTED stolen; no stolen report = no info. All that CSI crap doesn't happen.

When you fill out the form for nics check the serial # gets listed on the form but it's not transmitted for the check. Unless your state has gun registration, which they probably don't, none of your firearms are registered.

wolverine_173 said:

i live in utah

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Then you live in America ... no such thing as gun registration (and while we may all argue that 4473s and NICS checks may be a defacto form of registration, there is still no direct registration ... also Utah doesn't use NICS it uses its own system so the feds have no idea what you got).

There is no registration, except for FFL's.

I too live in a free state but this does come up a lot and I'm wondering and kinda curious about the few states that do require registration. I am thinking the ones that do require it require the gun to be registered to you to have it in your possession but I'm not sure. If my thinking is not the case and you can loan it to anyone in these states the already fundamentally flawed system in place is even more ridiculous.

Now I'm not familiar at all with Utah's concealed weapon permit, but does it require you to register with a ceartin type of weapon? I have heard a few states have categories, like revolver, semi auto, derringer on the permit, its based on what you used to qualify and thats what you can carry. NO clue here which states this applies to.

Edit: Just out of plain dang curiousity, in the few states that do require registration and everything, is it anywhere near hollywood tv show (aka csi) fast for them to even check? The way they speed up fingerprint tests, DNA testing and everything else I just wonder in the actual required registration states how long it would take. If they haven't justified the system as being effective then the system needs to be discontinued.

I know that California requires all hand guns (Not sure about rifles, but I'm sure they are trying) to be registered and LE has immediate access to the records. I lost two revolvers in a burglary and didn't have the serial numbers. At the station, the cop just entered my name and had a print out of all my "Registered" guns in a mater of minutes. And this was back in 1986 on a data terminal, not a computer. Glad that I'm now in "Brady rating ZERO" Arizona. I just wish there was a way to purge the CA data base of my records.

In NY no handgun can be possessed unless it is currently registered in your name, and no handgun can be obtained legally unless it was previously registered with an FFL or another licensed individual. You may not posess a handgun that is not registered to you regardless of reason even if it is legally registered to someone else.

It depends on:

1. What state you live in.

2. How you acquired the gun.

Register a firearm? Now who would do a fool thing like that?

As an American Citizen living in a Free State, We don't have "Gun Registration".
If you live in a totalitarian State that does, I suggest you change the State laws or move.
Supposedly, a Florida State LE Dept. keeps track of stolen weapons, and has a database of serial numbers Nation wide. This of course only applies to reported stolen serial numbers, and I have no idea how comprehensive or accurate it is.
I, at one time had their web site, but I never pursued it and have since lost it. (always, always, ALWAYS, back up data.):banghead:

The is no official registration in Washington state. The Washington Department of Licensing maintains a database of handguns sold by FFLs and who they were sold to, which is basically worthless as private sales are not required to be reported/tracked.

As has been said, only a few certain states have a gun registration. You would know if you lived in one.

No, your gun was not registered.

I cannot (I doubt any WILL) give you advice on whether or not you can "carry" said firearm not because of the firearm's status, but your status and the carry laws of your state.

Be careful, know the law. I'd suggest googling your state police websites to get the answers you seek. But again, IMO...gun registration should not be your biggest concern here.

So whats happening when i bought my gun. I ordered it online it shipped to al's sporting goods. I filled out info, so whats that info? isn't it the gun being registered.

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No, that's just the NICS background check on you, the buyer. The form only notes whether you are buy in a long gun or handgun, it does not list the weapon or the SN. That is federal law. There is, by law, no federal database of who owns firearms let alone who owns what firearm.

The states control the rules for concealed carry and you'll need to know those before you do. But registration isn't a requirement in the great majority of states. Check your code, I believe Utah requires a permit to carry concealed but is a "shall issue" state.

The 1968 Gun Control Act.
The FFL's are kept by the dealer and can be accessed by law enforcement people by going to the dealer you purchased the weapon from and requesting to see them.
They only give the name and address of who they sold them to. They do not keep track of subsequent transfers between private individuals.
If you bought such a weapon through an FFl dealer, with a lot of effort, the "Authorities" can trace that gun to you. All they can then do is ask who you sold or gave the gun to.
It goes like this.
The Authorities have a firearm they wish to trace.
From it's serial number, they go to the manufacturer, and find which FFL dealer the firearm was shipped to. From him they get to whom he sold the firearm. They then attempt to locate that individual, and ask him to whom they sold or gave the firearm. If it goes beyond one or two private transactions, the effort to trace a firearm becomes huge and the success rate becomes much lower.
In a registration scheme, there will be a central data base where all firearms are registered, with names and addresses of owners. Private transactions will be forbidden, as unregistered transactions would defeat the purpose of registration.
Much less effort, and it makes checking up on who has a firearm, much simpler. It would also make seizing guns much easier, if it ever came to that.
Currently, it makes it difficult to trace a weapon unless it is of late manufacture, or very important to do so.

Kurt_D said:

OP, there is no registraition unless it's at a state level ....

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Not entirely true. Many municipalities require registration of handguns.

If your state or municipality requires registration of handguns and you carry an unregistered handgun and are discovered by law enforcement ... call the attorney, with gun-law expertise, that you have on speed dial and then the NRA to see if they will assist you in the legal battle you are about to embark upon.