Keeping track of your firearms...

[DustyGmt]

China knows everything I'm doing. So do the tech companies HQ'd here in the USA. I think I thought I had internet privacy back in the 1990s and early 2000s, but that isn't true either. Not to mention these dang smart phones that always tell me how far away home is, even if I've never marked where home is.

I left Home Depot the other day and in my drop down menu, when I pull it down to check emails, texts, news bulletin, etc.. there was a message in my drop down menu that said "dusty, did you find everything you were looking for in Home Depot today?"

That was troubling, I'm not signed up to any Home depot apps that I'm aware of, I have no idea why my phone knows what I'm doing all the time. I swear if I tell my wife it's about time we get a new fridge the next suggested thing in my queue thingy is "25% off all Kenmore Refrigerators!!!". The scary thing is sometimes you just think of something you want and it's creepy how you will see that very random thing pop up in your "suggested for you". Weird world.

We were better off before....

 

[KS Plinker]

Yes. Currently done in a spreadsheet, but thinking of redoing it in a MySQL database this winter. Easier to sort and search. And my need to code is beginning to itch.

I read this thread and all the replies, and I haven’t done anything to record down any type of permanent record of my firearms so I spent the better part of 3 hours today getting that done.

 

[daniel craig]

For those that do not want any of this information saved onto a computer, I have just one question for you.

Have you ever posted any photos of your firearms on any forum or other type of website?

Because if you have, then it is all out in the cloud and searchable as is. Plus just being members on any gun forum puts your information and the fact that you are a gun owner out there too.

And another thing to think about, most smart phone will back up all of your photos to the cloud automatically unless you shut that feature off. So unless you do not have any type of backup turned on, then any photos you have taken with you smart phone or tablet is out in the cloud. And at minimum they were transferred to your computer anytime you plug your phone/tablet into it.

Set them to not back up and delete them every week. Set up all social media and forums like this under fake name and fake information. Route all your Internet traffic through VPN/TOr. At least that’ll help a little bit.

 

[P5 Guy]

Just leave the dang thing in the garage?

I left Home Depot the other day and in my drop down menu, when I pull it down to check emails, texts, news bulletin, etc.. there was a message in my drop down menu that said "dusty, did you find everything you were looking for in Home Depot today?"

That was troubling, I'm not signed up to any Home depot apps that I'm aware of, I have no idea why my phone knows what I'm doing all the time. I swear if I tell my wife it's about time we get a new fridge the next suggested thing in my queue thingy is "25% off all Kenmore Refrigerators!!!". The scary thing is sometimes you just think of something you want and it's creepy how you will see that very random thing pop up in your "suggested for you". Weird world.

We were better off before....

 

[d31tc]

Yes. I have a fairly extensive list that helps me keep track of past expenses, and future expenses. Future expenses including future guns are prioritized. List is for gun parts and accessories. I have a separate list with serial numbers and dates of purchase, current estimated value, and a list of prices sold and net gain or loss, although I suppose I could add that to my master list. I’ve set myself a budget for my chosen hobby and use my gains to supplement my budget. This helps me keep some focus on my purchases being deliberate and not impulsive.

 

[MikeInOr]

Even though I am quite a computer nerd I still keep all my gun purchases in a hard bound book as prescribed by the ATF from back in the 90's when I had a C&R license. I will probably use the same book if I ever sell a gun.

 

[AlexanderA]

Safeguarding the list or catalog is as important as safeguarding the guns themselves. (If held on a computer, for example, that means that the files should be encrypted. If a physical record, it should be kept off-site in a safe deposit box.) Anybody that's been through a divorce knows that a list of guns is one of the first things the ex's attorney will ask for in discovery proceedings.

This is an argument that maybe such a list shouldn't be kept at all (depending on the circumstances). Know what you have, but keep the knowledge in your head.

 

[Madcap_Magician]

I've been working on a spreadsheet with this information for insurance purposes. The goal is to have basically everything I want insurance coverage for under my renter's policy, not just guns and accessories.

 

[herrwalther]

I keep a spread sheet of my firearms bought and sold. It has things like make, model, SN, barrel length, price paid/sold, fields for pictures and comments. I keep multiple local and cloud copies for data redundancy. However, I am awful about updating it and I am way behind on my own records.

 

[rhodester]

Years ago I used to keep a spreadsheet with all of the pertinent data of all the firearms. The data included most of what was mentioned in previous posts.

Then, since I lost all of the firearms in a boating accident I decided to only keep written records of the replacements in a safe place at home. I guess I’m paranoid but when big brother comes knocking to collect my toys, I really don’t have them any more. And, I never post anything about what I have now. It’s a shame that this is the world we now have to live in.

 

[Sniper66]

I've kept a list for many years and update it frequently. When I look back at guns I sold and new ones I just bought, I think of other information I wish I had kept. More is better in this instance.