Why hide serial numbers?
Was wondering why some sellers do not list whole serial number on their guns (listing some digits as XXXX). I am thinking about listing some and wondered if I should do the same. What's the concern?
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I have identified 4 reasons why this is done:
1) Paranoia - "I don't want the government to know what guns I have."
2) Herd mentality - "Everyone else does it."
3) Stupidity - "Someone might make up a phony sales receipt & then tell the police I stole their gun."
4) Possible stolen gun - This is the only reason that makes sense; if your gun is on the DOJ database, & it's theft has been documented, it can be confiscated.
Neal
"Just because you are paranoid, that doesn't mean that they aren't out to get you."
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I do not list entire serial numbers becasue a dishonest person can walk into any police station and report that gun stolen, then it gets entered into the national data base as a hot gun! It has happened in the past so better to be safe than sorry!
Chris8161
Admit nothing, deny everything, demand proof!0 -
Myers beat me to it this time. AO13454 is the number to my PPk. Closest one I had to grab.
Okay all you idenity theives and fake stolen gun reporters, go for it!
It is stupidity on the writers part that they don't list the numbers. Especially on collectable weapons whose buyers may need the whole serno.
What men call a hero...is merely a man who is seen doing what a brave man does as a matter of course.
A man who is in love with learning is a man who is never without a bride, for there is always more. L'Amour0 -
Not stupidity, commom sense, not everyone is as honest as you!
Chris8161
Admit nothing, deny everything, demand proof!0 -
Chris, maybe stupidity is not the right word, maybe unfamiliarity would be more applicable.
Everyone doesnt' have to be as honest as me. Provinance of the weapon counts a whole bunch, description, and when the report was filed.
As to a REAL stolen weapon, if it is stolen when do you want it run? When selling it to a cop, at a weekend gunshow (you get two days/two nights free lodging plus meals), or when you're dragging a buck back to be cleaned?
I for one sure don't want to have a stolen weapon in my collection. You run the risk of having ruffians mishandle your weapons while running ALL your serial numbers.
Does anyone know of an real instance (not a friend of a friend told me) where someone pulled a fast one with a serno?
What men call a hero...is merely a man who is seen doing what a brave man does as a matter of course.
A man who is in love with learning is a man who is never without a bride, for there is always more. L'Amour0 -
quote:Originally posted by Chris8161
Not stupidity, commom sense, not everyone is as honest as you!
Chris8161
Admit nothing, deny everything, demand proof!
Chris... you are correct, it is not stupidity, it is IGNORANCE.
I completely agree with nmyers & P3skyking on this topic, and it disturbs me that people such as yourself really believe that a criminal/crook/low-life is willing to subject him/her self to law enforcement scrutiny by filing a FALSE theft report on a firearm that is only worth a few hundred to maybe a few thousand $$$...[?] How on earth does this reputed "less then honest person" know that you do not have an original bill of sale or sales receipt for the firearm in question[?]
Even if a false theft report was made, there is absolutely no way on earth that a crook expects that he can take custody of it... it would be tied up in the court system for months at best... meanwhile, his/her record gets checked for any felony offenses (essentially nulifying any legal claim the idiot may have had in gaining possession of said firearm).
You really need to think about your stance and thoughts about this topic.
Winchester Model 1885 serial number 114292... now what will that get anyone[?]
Bert H.
Real Men use a SINGLE-SHOT!0 -
I asked this on 10/30, and got this:
http://forums.gunbroker.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=79170
DUCKHUNTER noted this was asked once a week. Well, maybe closer to once a month, depending on the holidays. But it never hurts to ask any question. And it does not cost anything to be polite.
"Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy." Unknown0 -
Chris8161, Just when and where did someone file a false theft report on a gun by use of a serial number he got from the internet? Did the filer of the false report get prosecuted? Did the true owner of the gun file a civil suit for damages against the person filing the false report? Frankly, I think the primary reason for the XXX's in the serial number is fear that the gun was really stolen at some time in the past and the true owner will learn of it's whereabouts and want it back. 0 -
Hey, for whats its worth I plead guilty to "herd mentality" and sentence myself to 10 minutes of being labeled stupid. I'm new here, a midget among giants, and just followed the lead of others. This is like a AA meeting. "Hi, I'm kuhlewulf and my Browning Hi-power is s/n 2w5nv57288." I feel so much better now.[:I]
James
Whats next? A ban on automatic transmissions?0 -
quote:Originally posted by kuhlewulf
Hey, for whats its worth I plead guilty to "herd mentality" and sentence myself to 10 minutes of being labeled stupid. I'm new here, a midget among giants, and just followed the lead of others. This is like a AA meeting. "Hi, I'm kuhlewulf and my Browning Hi-power is s/n 2w5nv57288." I feel so much better now.[:I]
James
Whats next? A ban on automatic transmissions?
Welcome aboard, you'll fit right in if you bad mouth Hi-point once in awhile.
What men call a hero...is merely a man who is seen doing what a brave man does as a matter of course.
A man who is in love with learning is a man who is never without a bride, for there is always more. L'Amour0 -
It seems to me that Nobody needs to justify why they exercise their right to privacy......guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States! Anybody remember we got one of those? Besides, what difference should it make that someone "camoflaged their serial number" or didn't full disclose it? Are you folks the "Serial Number Police?" If so, who gave you that power to usurp the "right to Privacy" of anyone. They don't have to disclose the serial number of their gun in a "public way!" If that is all you've got to do is worry about whether or not someone disclosed their "complete" serial number of one of their OWN guns, you've got way to much time on your hands to mind other people's business! If you don't have the time to mind your own business, you certainly don't have the time to mind others! My 2 cents worth.....Flame away!
I Miss The World I Grew Up In!0
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