Are Universal Background Checks feasible without registration?

[ChunkyMonkey]

Usually, the ATF is only able to trace from the manufacturer to the first FFL transaction. On occasion, there is a chance for a secondary FFL transaction if the firearm goes back into a FFL's bound book as a trade in, FFL purchase, etc.

All the traces I've had done haven't been that spectacular in terms of information, unless the firearm was a recent purchase.

Thanks for the clarification.. so it's to the FIRST ffl transaction, then it's leg work from there.

[OneGuy67]

Thanks for the clarification.. so it's to the FIRST ffl transaction, then it's leg work from there.

The manufacturers keep pretty good records of where their products go, so the first step is with them to determine who they sold it to. That is going to be either a FFL holder or to a individual person. From there, it is legwork on the part of an investigator to physically track down the seller/buyer if they can do so.

The firearm can pop up on the proverbial radar again if it goes through a FFL's hands at a later time and that FFL's books are turned in to the ATF at the end of their license. From there, it is again legwork to track down the buyer and follow the buyer/seller string.

In the end, without some sort of registration, it isn't going to be realistic to track all firearms that buy/sell/trade on a daily basis. I'm never going to say never, as this administration scares me, but the chances of registration are pretty dang slim.