I thought as much, this was a thought experiment, nothing more.
The co worker "doesn't trust the government" and doesn't want a "paper trail" for firearms purchases that can be "traced...."
His words, not mine, he's one of those "chemtrails and false flags" types of conspiracy theory fans....
I buy my firearms at a local sporting goods shop and fill out a 4473 for each purchase, we also live in different states, so even if I wanted to sell a gun to him, which I don't, I couldn't do so anyway, without having him undergo a 4473 himself
He's a law abiding citizen, just a little too "black helicopters are watching us all" for my tastes, perfectly harmless otherwise.
My answer to the thought experiment, as stated up thread, would have been yes, I own that gun, but since my state doesn't have a registry, I'd want to know why they were asking