General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: The story of a gun: Serial number MPX753 [View all]X_Digger
(18,585 posts)A background check is not a record of who owns what weapon.. there is no serial number involved in the BG check.
Here's typically how it goes.. you agree to purchase the gun. The dealer sits you down with a pen and a form 4473. You fill in all kinds of information, from address, eye color, height, weight, birth city/state, and a bunch of questions about eligibility. At the bottom there's a statement that you sign acknowledging that falsifying this information is a felony.
The dealer takes the 4473, compares it to your state ID, fills in the serial number, and calls NICS. They give the NICS agent their FFL number, and your information. The NICS agent asks what kind of firearm (long gun, handgun, or receiver) not the serial number and the agent checks the database. If there is a name in the NICS database that significantly matches on multiple points (like name / address, name / DOB / city, SSN, etc) then the dealer is given a 'deny'. If there are fewer matching criteria, the dealer is given a 'hold', which gives the NICS three days to investigate (Yes, there are two "John Smith"'s in Columbus, OH with the same DOB, but this one has a different birth city and eye color.) If no information matches, NICS gives a 'pass'.)