Unserialized Production Handgun ??

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  • Flametamer

    Active Member
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 6, 2014
    796
    Frederick County
    An acquaintance of mine has been gifted a modern, US made, semiautomatic handgun. Somewhere in the handgun's past life, someone filed off the serial number. My acquaintance asked me what he needs to do to get this gun legal again (assuming that the present situation is not in compliance with some law). My only thought was to contact the manufacturer to purchase a new frame and swap out the components. Does anyone here have a better / more correct answer?
     

    TheOriginalMexicanBob

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 2, 2017
    32,179
    Sun City West, AZ
    I don't believe it can be made legal. According to US statutes removing a serial number is illegal and the piece automatically becomes contraband. Whomever possesses it is automatically in violation and can be charged with at least possession of contraband. If he would notify law enforcement he would be lucky to only lose the handgun and not be charged...after being detained and interrogated. I think he should contact his attorney or some attorney familiar with firearms law on how best to dispose of it. The advice may be to simply take a boat out in the Bay and dump it (a joke).

    Law enforcement may want the gun...the serial number can be raised again with chemical treatment and to see whether it's reported stolen or used in a crime.
     

    DutchV

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 8, 2012
    4,703
    If you have use of a cutting torch for a few minutes, I'd go that route. Or a chop saw would work too. Make small pieces. Save the unserialized parts if you like.

    Usually I'm against cutting up guns but not in this case.
     

    Flametamer

    Active Member
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 6, 2014
    796
    Frederick County
    Thanks for the mostly helpful and informative responses. The individual involved is not a MD resident; lives somewhere in Dixieland... I will pass the collective wisdom along. He is a retired LEO, and still part time LEO, and asked because he likes this particular gun and he wants to do the right thing. He is a straight up honest individual, no hint of dishonest intention in his or any other interaction I have ever had with him. I would not be surprised if, after hearing these responses, he simply turns it in through his part time LE agency.
     

    Inigoes

    Head'n for the hills
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 21, 2008
    49,365
    SoMD / West PA
    Thanks for the mostly helpful and informative responses. The individual involved is not a MD resident; lives somewhere in Dixieland... I will pass the collective wisdom along. He is a retired LEO, and still part time LEO, and asked because he likes this particular gun and he wants to do the right thing. He is a straight up honest individual, no hint of dishonest intention in his or any other interaction I have ever had with him. I would not be surprised if, after hearing these responses, he simply turns it in through his part time LE agency.

    That's even worse, purchasing a handgun with it's serial number filed off! Some states have laws against receiving stolen goods.

    Your friends buddies in the crime lab ought to be able to retrieve the serial numbers, and then find out where the gun was stolen from.
     

    newmuzzleloader

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Apr 14, 2009
    4,765
    joppa
    Thanks for the mostly helpful and informative responses. The individual involved is not a MD resident; lives somewhere in Dixieland... I will pass the collective wisdom along. He is a retired LEO, and still part time LEO, and asked because he likes this particular gun and he wants to do the right thing. He is a straight up honest individual, no hint of dishonest intention in his or any other interaction I have ever had with him. I would not be surprised if, after hearing these responses, he simply turns it in through his part time LE agency.

    Your friend is a LEO and didn't know it was illegal to have a gun with the serial # filed off? He needs to ask questions of the person who "gifted" it to him.
     

    TheOriginalMexicanBob

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 2, 2017
    32,179
    Sun City West, AZ
    I think it was required in the Gun Control Act of 1968. By then most guns were already being given serial numbers...some rimfire rifles maybe excepted. Besides requiring numbers, they had to be unique to avoid duplicating numbers.
     

    Rack&Roll

    R.I.P
    Patriot Picket
    Jan 23, 2013
    22,304
    Bunkerville, MD
    The Gun Control Act of 1968 stipulated serial numbers for all firearms.

    I don’t know if any handguns manufactured without serial numbers at that point. I believe the GCA was created to apply to long guns, which were not always serialized pre ’68.

    Mossberg comes to mind.
     

    JTH20

    Active Member
    Feb 18, 2013
    536
    MD
    Run, run away, fast

    Somewhere an ATF agent is peeking over a brick wall.

    9873cPi.jpg
     

    Rockzilla

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 6, 2010
    4,516
    55.751244 / 37.618423
    turn it in .. before he gets put in..
    "sanitized serial" no good... light bulb must
    be "burned out" as it didn't come on...

    a fool and his money are soon departed....


    -Rock
     

    smokey

    2A TEACHER
    Jan 31, 2008
    31,412
    Destroying the frame doesn't mean he has to destroy everything else. If it's a glock, for example, he could pickup a 80% frame to replace the frame he destroys. Hopefully there is some kind of misunderstanding......... and the frame without serial numbers was already destroyed when he took possession of the gun parts....
     

    G O B

    Ultimate Member
    Nov 17, 2007
    1,940
    Cen TX
    Many handguns, and even more shotguns manufactured before 1968 have no serial numbers. They are PERFECTLY LEGAL to own. In a free State.
     

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