Analysis of information sources in references of the Wikipedia article "Gun serial number" in English language version.
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{{cite book}}: |first1= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)The Blue Book of Used Gun Values offers serial numbers for many makers... Serial numbers ordinarily allow you to know the date of manufacture.
Under federal law, a gun manufacturer or importer must engrave or mark every gun it makes with a serial number on the receiver or frame. Law enforcement agents can use the number to determine the owner of the gun or learn if it was reported stolen, but a private individual cannot. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is legally authorized to track firearm ownership with a gun serial number. They do so through the ATF National Tracing Center. Can be used to learn whether a gun was stolen (there are on line databases), but a relatively definitive inquiry needs to go through law enforcement.
My research indicates there is no federal law or regulation that requires a person to mark his or her personally manufactured firearm with a serial number or other information. I had this confirmed by the Firearms Industry Programs Branch of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE).
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