When I call the BATFE, I give them info on the purchaser. The only info I give about the firearm is whether it is a long gun, handgun, etc.
I call the local pd on all used firearms sold, whether pawned, consigned or store purchased and have them run the numbers before the gun goes out the door. I am not required to do so, but it is easier on me not to sell the gun if it comes up stolen than it would be if I had to help retrieve it.
We have had one issue with a stolen firearm, and it was a pd mistake. The same serial number may appear on numerous firearms. The number came up, and the pd did not ascertain whether the number was on the correct firearm before going to collect it. We had sold the gun, and the shop where the person resold it ran the number with his local pd. The fight is ongoing after about 18 months. People were sued over the wrong recovered firearm.
About ten years ago, I purchased a rifle from a pawn shop. Two years later the pawn shop owner contacted me. The gun had been taken from an older fellow's shop and the loss went unnoticed for quite some time. His grandson was the thief.
The old guy wanted his gun back. I said I would hand it over when the grandson was charged with a crime. No crime, no stolen gun. He would not press charges, and I eventually sold the gun back to him for what I paid. You may be in a similar situation if you have not been contacted by the coppers.
Should the coppers want the gun, make sure that the identifying paperwork they have corresponds to what you possess. A minor difference makes your firearm a different firearm than the one they seek.
