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Federal Firearms Licensees Can Request Serial Number Check
This bill, SB25-205, sets up a process for federal firearms licensees, aka enterprises or individuals involved in the federally licensed sale of firearms, to contact sheriff departments related to serial numbers on firearms. The object of the request is to determine if the firearm is stolen, lost, or was used in a crime.
The bill outlines timelines - 72 hours for sheriffs to respond to a request to review a serial number and 48 hours for a firearms dealer to notify law enforcement if the dealer finds a stolen or unlawfully used weapon.
The object of the bill is to give firearms dealers a reliable method of determining whether to buy a used firearm. On the other side, the bill mandates that firearms dealers report any firearm that the dealer knows has been stolen or used illegally, with fines for non compliance.
The request for serial numbers is voluntary on the part of the firearms dealer. Sheriffs may charge a fee to administer the request. If the sheriff doesn't produce the serial number within the alotted timeframe, no fee is charged.
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