Supreme Court rules on 'straw purchaser' law

[GunsRBadMMMMKay]

"Writing for the majority, Justice Elena Kagan said the federal government's elaborate system of background checks and record-keeping requirements help law enforcement investigate crimes by tracing guns to their buyers. "

So how exactly does NICS work with tracking gun purchases and getting that to LEO to investigate crimes?
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I know, it's not like they have some kind of national gun registry...since that would be illegal and violate the constitution. So how do they track all these guns to said owners?

More directly, I'll explain the trace procedure as it was explained to me....1-write/subpoena manufacturer for records, which show where gun was sent. 2-write/subpoena distributor for where said gun went next. 3-write/subpoena store/ffl for 4473/name of purchaser. 4-write/subpoena/contact 4473 buyer.....and if he/she sold/transferred it then on till the trail goes cold. But that's not a "bona-fide" registry since big brother can't just get the info on the spot, right?