Unfortunately these kinds of threads deteriorate into two camps. Real world and common sense vs a strict interpretation of the law. How many on here actually believe that the BATF is going to descend on surviving family members with both feet when and if it comes to light that grampa’s WW2 relic had the serial number ground off in one location? To what end?? And how many who seem to get some satisfaction in trying to impose rules on others would actually use a cutting torch on a nice family heirloom if it belonged to their family?

I always get a good laugh out of these “ATF GONNA GETCHA” threads.

I’ve worked with them enough to know better.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

ATFE gets about 95% of their cases as referrals from local PD’s, and that’s where the problem would start, because that’s a mark of pride to get a federal conviction from the midnight shift in podunk county. A pistol like the OP described is most likely to get discovered after some event the OP would report, like a burglary, or even a house fire, or an event the domestic partner would report, like an assault, which generates a whole house search and a “Hey, c’mere and look at this . . . “ Once found a hidden marijuana grow after a fire, and another after “my husband’s been hitting me, and by the way he grows weed in the basement. Can easily change to “by the way, he’s got a pistol he said was illegal.”

We’ve stopped that in Missouri by legislatively prohibiting the locals from cooperating in any way with federal prosecution of gun crimes.

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

We (the Eff-Bee-Eye) had an MOU with them and the US Attorney’s Office. We could charge gun counts in addition to another charge (murder, rape, serious assault) but they got all stand-alone gun charges. Typically the tribe would make a good traffic stop and turn up a sawed-off shotgun or rifle. Most were single shot shotguns sawed off in front of the handguard and behind the pistol grip. I called them Navajo Pirate Pistols. (Once it was a Marlin Model 60 .22 semi-auto, sawn straight through the tubular magazine).

They would call me (ATF would not respond. Ever.) I would get the gun, do a referal, and wait. The earth would circle the sun, leaves would change color, regimes would rise and fall. And yet - crickets.

When I had enough illegal guns no one cared about I would put them in my rig and drive across a nearby dam. Sometimes I could skip them a couple times.

Once I managed a stand alone felon in possession. A local d-bag fired his Navajo Pirate Pistol from inside his house through his barred window and killed a guy who was throwing rocks at his house. The USAO quivered and quaked at the thought of a self-defense claim and wouldn’t even take it to the grand jury. I finally got the ATF to commit their “we don’t care” to paper, and the USAO charged the felon in possession count (not the sawed off bit, though) and of course he pled and we were rid of him for a couple of years.

Maybe it was just me. Or the rez. But I don’t think so.

I encourage everyone to follow the law. In this case, there is a legal way to restore a serial number.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

Earlier S&W revolvers had the serial number stamped in a couple of places, usually on the butt and on the bottom of the barrel. If one of those is removed but the other is intact is it legal or not?

I think it has to be on the frame.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

I am going to chime in here and show one of two questionable handguns I have owned. This was my first Glock 26. This was a LE confiscation gun that was in a batch of guns traded by a Florida SO to a LE supply company. If you look at the serial number on the slide you can see it has been tampered with but is readable. The number on the frame got damaged too. If the gun was held at a 45° angle under good light the number was easily legible. A ATF agent advised that this could be sold, and stated he had no need to personally eyeball this firearm.

I had the property tag from the Florida SO so I never was uncomfortable with it, but sold it after getting the second one. I sold it to a forum member LEO who said it was good enough; but if the right lawman saw it I would likely be inconvenienced for a few hours.

The other handgun was a pre model 10 M&P someone round butted and messed up the serial number. I did call ATF about it, explained I bought it from an estate sale in west Georgia, and an agent met me to eyeball it. He said over the phone I could surrender it if necessary with no charges. The agent was from the community where the gun came from and had been at the sale. He knew the family, and the gun, and bought it from me. The deceased former owner had been the agent’s Scoutmaster and that M&P was the first gun the agent had ever fired.

You may notice the Glock has night sights. I took that gun to Glock, Inc. the day after I bought it for service and the sights. When the service tech noticed the serial number he brought me the gun and asked me to leave. I pulled the slide off and put the frame in my pocket. I asked him to install the sights on the slide. He did so and he brought me a baggy with new frame internals and replaced the magazine.

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Everything is interstate commerce because the air that was use even if just for the workers breath, blew across state lines at some point in the history of the world and the water, they drank, evaporated in one state and rained down in another at some point in history. There got it covered for the Feds it is all under their jurisdiction now. If I eat a can of soup and J walk it is a Federal crime because the soup in my belly came from a plant in Texas.

The OP posted at 12:18 pm on the 9th, logged off and hasn’t been back since. He has more than enough reading material for his “friend”.

We’re done.

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"I also cook."