Question: "I have a firearm and it appears to not have a serial number. I have looked it over from top to bottom! Is it legal to own?"
Answer: Yes, no, maybe so. It depends. All current production firearms manufactured in the United States by federally licensed manufacturers are required by law to be issued a unique serial number at the time of inception. This has not always been the case. In fact, it wasn't until the Gun Control Act of 1968 was passed that there was a federal requirement that said firearms must have a serial number. With that being said, most firearms manufactured prior to 1968 by reputable big name manufacturers (such as Colt, Winchester, Marlin, Ruger, Etc.) were voluntarily issued a serial number as a means of quality control rather than compliance with federal laws and regulation. It is however quite common to find firearms that were imported or manufactured domestically that were not marked with a serial number during manufacture prior to 1968. This is especially common with "hardware store" and Sears & Roebuck guns that were contract manufactured in bulk by other manufacturers. So, if you come across a firearm that does not have a serial number, whether or not it is legal depends on when it was made and whether or not it ever had a serial number. Firearms that previously had a serial number but now no longer have one are illegal. It is against federal law to obliterate or alter a serial number on a firearm. Say for example you have an old Sears & Roebuck Model 25 .22LR rifle and it doesn't have a serial number anywhere on it; It is most likely legal as they were manufactured prior to 1968 and many Sears & Roebuck firearms did not have a serial number. On the contrary, say you have a nice Colt .38 revolver with no visible serial number but it shows an odd marking in the finish (where the serial number should have been) that suspiciously looks like it was touched by a grinder; It is likely that firearm is not legal (regardless of age) as pretty much all Colts had a serial number since the 1800's and the serial number was likely obliterated. Sometimes it is tricky and takes a little bit of research if you are unsure. That is something that we can help with. Our experienced team has a lot of history with pretty much every model of firearm ever produced. We know how to quickly identify firearms and know whether they are supposed to have a serial number or not based on age and manufacture. We also know where to look on certain models where the serial numbers were often inconspicuously placed. We can also identify and legally mark "Privately Manufactured Firearms" which were not originally required to have a serial number but now require one at time of disposition/sale. If you are in need of our services, please feel free to give us a call at 757-937-1803 today so we can discuss your needs!