I need to be taught to be more paranoid about gun registration

[newracer]

You are either trying to be funny -- or are woefully ignorant about the state of technology.

Neither. I read a recent article about tracing a firearm from a crime and the FBI stated the process was this:
They contact the manufacturer to find out what distributor it was sold to.
They then contact the distributor to find out what retailer it was sold to.
Then the retailer to manually search his files to find who it was sold to. I am not sure what order 4473s a FFL files them by but I bet it is not by serial number or manufacturer. I assume by date sold or received.
If the FFL has closed then the feds have the files which has to be manually searched.
The entire process usually takes weeks.

In the article they stated none of the records they have have been converted to digital format.

Even if they did scan the records, OCR software does not work very well with handwritten text which most of not all 4473s are.

I have bought numerous firearms from numerous FFLs, I cannot even imagine how difficult it would be for them to figure out all I had.

[dwalker460]

Huh, you believed something the .gov said publicly.... thats kinda cute

[newracer]

It makes perfect sense. The feds do not have most of the forms, the FFLs have them. Even the ones they do have are all hand written. Do you think they are going to pay someones to enter the data by hand into a database? I don't.

I am all for a good conspiracy but this one just doesn't work. Like I said earlier it will be much easier to get other people to turn in firearm owners.

[asmo]

Neither. I read a recent article about tracing a firearm from a crime and the FBI stated the process was this:

Try not to quote to me how the FTC works unless you have actually been through the process or seen it work first hand.

The entire process usually takes weeks.

Or much longer -- unless they need the data right now, then you would probably be surprised.

In the article they stated none of the records they have have been converted to digital format.

Thats nice. I'm sure there will be a bunch of people in Martinsburg and Clarksburg happy to know they can go home now.

Even if they did scan the records, OCR software does not work very well with handwritten text which most of not all 4473s are.

Tell that to any major financial institution, data broker, or stock order house. They don't OCR hundreds of thousands of complex documents per day. Nope. Not at all.

What you can play with at the local best buy has nothing on what tens and hundreds of millions of dollars of dedicated resources and development can make happen. When real money is on the line radical things happen quickly.

But with many places it really doesn't matter since 4473's are going digital - that wasn't to help the FFLs.

[hatidua]

The entire process usually takes weeks.

Dougherty siblings....little car chase that started in FL and ended in CO on I-25 several years ago. The news seemed to know every firearm those three had ever bought, well before the joyride ended on I-25.

-probably just lucky guesses on the part of the newsroom crew...

[newracer]

Try not to quote to me how the FTC works unless you have actually been through the process or seen it work first hand.
Or much longer -- unless they need the data right now, then you would probably be surprised.
Thats nice. I'm sure there will be a bunch of people in Martinsburg and Clarksburg happy to know they can go home now.
Tell that to any major financial institution, data broker, or stock order house. They don't OCR hundreds of thousands of complex documents per day. Nope. Not at all.
What you can play with at the local best buy has nothing on what tens and hundreds of millions of dollars of dedicated resources and development can make happen. When real money is on the line radical things happen quickly.
But with many places it really doesn't matter since 4473's are going digital - that wasn't to help the FFLs.

You asked and I was simply stating what I was basing my opinion on. Fact is they still do not have most of the forms and there are much easier ways to find out who has firearms. The idea that they go this route to figure out who has what firearms is ludicrous. It would be much more efficient and cost effective to simply offer a reward for information.

[<MADDOG>]

All the people saying molon labe have went to hiding...

[newracer]

Dougherty siblings....little car chase that started in FL and ended in CO on I-25 several years ago. The news seemed to know every firearm those three had ever bought, well before the joyride ended on I-25.

-probably just lucky guesses on the part of the newsroom crew...

That is a few individuals, try figuring out that information for the tens of millions of firearm owners.

[dwalker460]

All the people saying molon labe have went to hiding...

Not hiding

[<MADDOG>]

Not hiding

Thank you dwalker...

For those people who say "I lost/sold XYZ", I'll buy some tampons specifically for you...