buying private gun from someone, how to check the serial#?

[Oldgringo]

Pretty simple , just exchange name and address info with a driver license without the DL number . Each one gives a receipt to the other , old style works for me . Proves you bought it in good faith .

This.

Uhm, do you know this someone or is he/she a total stranger. If so - this.

[cb1000rider]

If it's a "read-only database", how does any data get in there in the first place to be read?

We're talking about a registry of stolen firearms that is already there. I'm not talking about something new. It already exists. I compared it to the sex offender registry because almost everyone knows what that is. In other words, not everyone can add data to it willy-nilly. There seems to be an objection to making that data public... I simply don't understand what the objection is... I must be missing something and I'd like to know what it is.

Or do you imagine a blank database is useful?

That's constructive, Andy, thanks.

I'm not happy with ANY form of registration even if it's allegedly "helpful". You can support the government with that, because I sure as heck will not. You're the same guy who wrote this below a while back, aren't you?

How am I advocating for registration? I'm advocating for public access to a database that already exists. Letting me check it before buying a gun helps protect me from possibly being involved in illegal activity that I'm not aware of. It also helps make the property stolen by bad-guys less valuable.

I did write what you quoted. The context is me complaining about quotes being taken out of context for political goals.. I want to know the context of a statement before evaluating it at face value. And yes, my views may be different than yours, but I'm capable of respectful disagreement. And I don't necessarily support those that were quoted, but I couldn't find indications that they were suggesting outright bans on firearms, which is what was being suggested. I don't people should bend the truth to get their point across.. that's not a win. We're better than that. If you read that as support for "gun-grabbers", I did it wrong.

I find your faith in the goodness of gun-grabbers and government disturbing.

Clearly I need to do better in describing my lack of faith in government.
In terms my "faith" in "gun grabbers" - I don't know where to start. It's not like we (you and I) might have some common political ground on 2nd amendment rights or anything. You can bucket what you think my beliefs are, I certainly support your right to do that. Just remember that if I don't think exactly the way that you do, we might have more in common that not..



But back to my original question:
How does giving the public read access to an existing database on stolen guns cause a problem? I want it BECAUSE I don't trust the government. That is, if I bought a stolen gun via a private party (such as a gun show) I don't trust the government not to lock me up and throw away the key, regardless of what my purchasing intent was. I've got guns I bought 20 years ago or more.. And honestly, I don't have a receipt or a DL#. I can guess what happens in Williamson county if I ask a LEO to check them for me and I something that was stolen.. Additionally, I'd rather not fork over thousands in legal defense to get out of that situation or have my ability to be employed be impacted because I was arrested for receiving stolen property.. That's how much I don't trust our government. I don't want the database check to be a condition of private sale, a condition of transfer, and I don't want to register anything.. I'd just like to know if I'm buying stolen property. Tell me what I'm missing.

[ghostrider]

How does giving the public read access to an existing database on stolen guns cause a problem?

like laws, one has to consider the potential for abuse/misuse in addition to the original intent.

let's say its maintained by an unscrupulous individual (matters not whether its a gov't or private employee). You call in a serial # to check; they enter it in the search field of the 'read only' DB; While it searches, he also keys in your phone number (cause it could take a while & he might have to call you back). Search finishes, gun is clean but oh...someone added a 'save' feature; the number you called from (or the one they traced without your permission) is put in the DB with the serial #.

Maybe you buy the gun, maybe you don't.
Maybe the phone number is a throwaway cell, maybe you're calling from your Uncle's house.
Maybe that serial # and the phone # are stored in this database, maybe they aren't.
Maybe there's potential for de facto registration, maybe there isn't.
Maybe it becomes so frequently used, the gov't dept subcontracts it out private industry.
Maybe they have secure servers, and....maybe a lot of big box stores thought they did too.

I'm just saying.... :-)

[cb1000rider]

Thanks, ghostrider, I get that angle... If it's a govt database, they could track who accesses it (at least by IP) and who is inquiring about specific serial numbers... That makes sense.

[cb1000rider]

I wouldn't list the owner.. just that it's been reported stolen in history.