Keeping Receipts for Firearms

The ATF asked if I had a receipt from when I purchase a rifle they were looking for. Told them I throw them all away so the wife never finds one, we all laughed!

Well supposedly they have to prove you guilty of a crime in this country. You aren't supposed to be burdened with proving your innocence.

More than likely they'll do a mandatory registration of all grandfathered guns - just like they did with SAFE. If that's the case, no receipt is going to save you from the 'Failure to Register' charge. There's no way that requiring a receipt for registration would stand either. There are just too many legally owned semis out there that went (or will go) through undocumented private sales or, like yours, have no receipt. Remember, it's still legal to do parking lot gun commerce in the vast majority of states. Even in NY there's got to be tens, maybe even hundreds of thousands of rifles like that.

possession is 9/10 of the law, you don't need no stinkin receipts.

I am sure plenty of people don't have receipts. Your guns have serial numbers anyway which, if push came to shove, could be likely tracked back to a lot at the manufacturer and a date of manufacture. This does not prove when you bought it, but...I wouldn't worry too much. The way laws deal with this stuff is to just ban purchase of new guns of an offending type and presumption then is that if you have the gun it's probably grandfathered.

I’d say in order for them to charge you they need to prove you had it after the law passed. That’s part of proving it’s a crime no??

The short answer is, "Fuck 'em."

The burden of proof is on the state.

Why would any of us have to prove you own a firearm is really yours? To hell with em.

Photoshop you can have any damn reciept you want. Screw these paper pushing petty tyrants.

I keep the receipts, and for long guns, the end of the box with the bar code info for insurance purposes. I have a fireproof safe.

For two old S&W's I've kept the original cardboard box and receipt from the original buyer. Just hoping it adds to the value when my children sell off all my stuff.

JaguarJaguarGolf said:

For two old S&W's I've kept the original cardboard box and receipt from the original buyer. Just hoping it adds to the value when my children sell off all my stuff.

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It will add value, especially for collectors of old S&Ws. I'm sure your children will appreciate the extra effort.

When I buy a new gun, I tell my wife that I'm just enhancing both of my daughters' inheritance.

I refuse to lie to my wife. Much.

BDinPutnam said:

I refuse to lie to my wife. Much.

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Technically my wife never asked.