Gun's Serial Number Recorded for Gunsmithing Work???

[Blain]

Ok, now the other day I took my gun over to a local smith to have some work done. After agreeing upon the work and a price we began to conduct the payment transaction. Now in the middle of it, he told me he would need to remove my side saddle in order to get the serial number of my gun for record keeping. He also told me he needed to see my pistol permit so that he could record that number for safe keeping also......

Now call me strange, but I have NEVER heard of a gunsmith needing to record such personal information before.....granted I live in MA (one of the worst gun states in the union) and this is the first time I have visited a local smith to have work done, but still.....

Is it me or is there something wrong about this?

Upon inquiring the smith why he needed such info he said he was required by law to keep a record of said numbers in order to track what had gone through his shop. HE then told me "not to worry" because in his 20 years of business, no one had come through requesting he reveal his information.

Is it me, or is there something fishy about this picture?

 

[BryanP]

Another possibility is that they want a record where you and the shop signed that you were giving him that specific firearm and that you received that specific firearm back. It would keep him from having to deal with a "Hey, this isn't the gun I dropped off!" claim

 

[Ala Dan]

Yep, its a BATF requirement when having work done on
a firearm.

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

 

[glocksman]

From here

(I2) Does a gunsmith need to enter in a permanent "bound book" record every firearm received for adjustment or repair? [Back]

If a firearm is brought in for repairs and the owner waits while it is being repaired or if the gunsmith is able to return the firearm to the owner during the same business day, it is not necessary to list the firearm in the "bound book" as an "acquisition." If the gunsmith has possession of the firearm from one business day to another or longer, the firearm must be recorded as an "acquisition" and a "disposition" in the permanent "bound book" record. [27 CFR 178.125( e)]


(I3) Is ATF Form 4473 required when a gunsmith returns a repaired firearm? [Back]

No, provided the firearm is returned to the person from whom received. [27 CFR 178.124( a)]

 

[Hkmp5sd]

Some states require gunsmiths to record the information, even though federal law allows some leeway.

 

[cratz2]

I've had work done to nearly every 1911 I've ever owned and several revolvers and various pistols as well... They have always recorded the SN of the gun but no one has ever even asked for my carry permit.

 

[Chipperman]

It also would serve to cover his butt for warranty issues. Suppose you bring in a 1911 for a trigger job. A week later, you bring in your other 1911, which looks exactly the same. You tell the guy his trigger job was not done properly, and you want it done again for free. He can look in his book, and prove it's not the gun he worked on.

 

[Tamara]

Blain,

A gunsmith has a type of FFL. If your weapon is to remain at his premises overnight, he must log it into his book.

Also, it helps him tell your Ultimate Shotgun from the Ultimate Shotgun next to it in the rack when you come to pick it up.

 

[Standing Wolf]

I wonder whether that rule applies to kitchen table gunsmithing of one's own guns.

 

[Black_Talon]

This law's nothing new either. I worked with a gunsmith in the late '70's/early '80's and we had to enter all the guns we worked on in a log book. This was in PRK but it's a Federal law, not a local one.