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Gun serial number

The serial number of this pistol is located under the dust cover on the frame, on the barrel, and on the slide.
The bolt of an Arisaka military rifle, which carries identifiers matching the main serial number which is on the receiver

A gun serial number is a unique identifier assigned to a singular firearm.[A]

There is no international uniformity in gun serial numbers. Besides a widespread numerical base, they may contain letters and other typographical symbols, or may consist entirely of a character string; positioning and form of such identifiers is idiosyncratic.[1][3]

The legal requirement for affixing a serial number to firearms is a relatively recent requirement, and usually applies to firearms manufactured domestically or which are imported.[4] Gun serial numbers are used in gun registration and are usually linked to an owner who is usually required to hold a firearms license.[5] In the US, federal law requires registered gun dealers to maintain records of gun serial numbers and then to report them when they are sold but federal law also prohibits creation of a national register.[6] Another form of serial number is microstamping, where the firing pin and breach face are engraved to create unique markings on the ejected cartridge; this is a legal requirement for handguns in the state of California.[7] It should also be noted that microstamping technology does not exist at this time, making it impossible to use on handguns[citation needed].

Firearms without a serial number are commonly called unmarked firearms. Firearms with removed serial numbers are generally illegal.[8] There are forensic techniques for recovering serial numbers after they have been removed.[6]

  1. ^ a b Spengler, Teo. "How to Check Serial Numbers on Guns". Retrieved December 3, 2020. Under federal law, a gun manufacturer or importer must engrave or mark every gun it makes with a serial number on the receiver or frame. Law enforcement agents can use the number to determine the owner of the gun or learn if it was reported stolen, but a private individual cannot. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is legally authorized to track firearm ownership with a gun serial number. They do so through the ATF National Tracing Center. Can be used to learn whether a gun was stolen (there are on line databases), but a relatively definitive inquiry needs to go through law enforcement.
  2. ^ Serial numbers. Cornell Publications LLC. The Blue Book of Used Gun Values offers serial numbers for many makers... Serial numbers ordinarily allow you to know the date of manufacture.
  3. ^ Michigan State Police, Criminal Justice Information Center, Firearms Records Unit. "Firearms Identification Field Guide" (PDF). Michigan State Police. p. 2. Retrieved November 11, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ Braga, Anthony A.; Pierce, Glenn L. (2005) "Disrupting illegal firearms markets in Boston: the effects of Operation Ceasefire on the supply of new handguns to criminals." Criminology & Public Policy 4, no. 4 : 717-748.
  5. ^ Cook, Philip J.; Cukier, Wendy; Krause, Keith "The illicit firearms trade in North America." Criminology & Criminal Justice 9, no. 3 (2009): 265-286.
  6. ^ a b Nordby, James & Bell 2005, p. 407.
  7. ^ Egelko, Bob (2013-05-18). "Gun control: Cartridge ID law to take effect". SFGATE. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  8. ^ Zawitz, Marianne W. (1995). Guns used in crime: firearms, crime, and criminal justice. US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics.


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