serial number checks with ftf purchase

[jhco]

how do you check a guns serial number when you are buying a gun ftf to make sure its "clean" /not stolen
i ask because we have a local ad paper that comes out once a week and there are always guns for sale but i am a little uneasy about buying from someone i dont know

 

[MICHAEL T]

I have never worried about it I just do a bill of sale and go on Get a Driver Lic Number on the bill .

 

[rcmodel]

Only way I would know is take it to a cop and have them run it through NCIC.

I have bought a lot of guns through the years, and never had the slightest doubt the guns were legit.

Course, I make it a rule not to buy guns from gang-bangers & junkies.
Most all of mine from adds were estate sales, or people just like me with homes, lawns, kids, cars, and other stuff that indicated they were not fencing stolen guns.

rcmodel

 

[sacp81170a]

Only way I would know is take it to a cop and have them run it through NCIC

And even that's not a guarantee. Just because the gun hasn't been reported as stolen that doesn't necessarily mean it's "clean" (by "clean" I take it you mean "hasn't been used in a crime") Of course, there's really no way to track that. Even the ballistics databases and fired casing databases have solved so few crimes that the effort and expense being put into them would be almost laughable if it weren't coming out of the taxpayer's pockets. Get a bill of sale and a DL#. That at least proves your transaction was legal (FTF handgun sales are only legal under Fed statute if they take place between residents of the same state, long gun sales if they're residents of adjacent states.) If your state requires an FFL dealer to do the transfer then it's a moot point.

 

[Soybomb]

If you're really concerned you can usually find a dealer or pawnshop who would do a transfer for $20, then you're on his books. Some people, like me, wouldn't give a stranger my dl # anyway.

I think you're worried about nothing though as long as you have some common sense and listen to warning bells going off in your head.

 

[rcmodel]

then you're on his books.

I'd rather not be on anyones books.

Rather take my chances the gun is clean.

At least now I know half my gun collection is not going to end up on a database in Washington DC some day.

They can pry my papered guns from my cold dead hands.
But my kids can keep the rest of them if they want too.

rcmodel

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

Is there any reason there isn't a searchable online database of stolen/lost/wanted guns? I think FL has one but a nationwide one or a public link to the NCIC database would be a huge help. Of course the gov't probably wouldn't like the fact they are "out of the loop".
The downside of taking it to the police is if it IS stolen, they take it then and there and you are out the cash you paid, although that's likely cheaper than having it run through on a traffic stop and finding out then.
Even better would be updates, like "hey, that gun that was stolen from me turned up in Ohio, I better give them a call".

 

[Ala Dan]

Its always good to get a bill of sale, with all the pertinent information from
the sellers DL; or governmental issued ID card. However, if you have a
close friend who is a LEO; you might get them too "run the S/N" of the
weapon through NCIC. But, before you do so think about this~! If the
weapon S/N checks out as "STOLEN", be prepared to surrender the
weapon and possibily face criminal charges (receiving stolen property)
from your local district attorney. Is it worth the risk~?

 

[American_Pit_Bull]

how do you check a guns serial number when you are buying a gun ftf to make sure its "clean" /not stolen

I don't.

If the person looks or acts shady, then I will not complete the purchase.

 

[kentucky_Dave]

This link turned up via a friend...
Florida Dept of LE

http://pas.fdle.state.fl.us/pas/item/displayGunSearch.a
I was told:
"If the number does not show up, or no hits found, it is likely clean."

I am not sure of how true that is, but it is better than nothing.

A good bill of sale is essential to covering yourself.
If they have something to hide or are somewhat questionable, they will balk at the bill of sale.

 

[Diggers]

Even if its not "clean" I don't see a problem.

There really isn't any way for you to check it, and if you follow the law in your state for gun sales then YOU have done nothing wrong.

If by some VERY weird an unlikely turn of events it was discovered you now owned a gun that was used in a crime, you would just point the police in the right direction (and would be out that gun too I suppose)

But really what are the odds of that gun being identified again in a stranger to stranger sale of a fire arm?

I actually have doubts that has EVER happened