Buying a gun, NICS 4473?

It provides information for the background (NICS) check but the information submitted over the phone for the NICS is not retained by the organization doing the background check.

However the dealer is required to retain the 4473. If the gun is used in a crime and recovered, the Law Enforcement Agency involved would contact the manufacturer and, using the serial number, determine which dealer received the gun for sale. Then they would contact that dealer and see what information was on the 4473 associated with the sale.

By law, the BATF is currently not allowed to compile the information from 4473 forms to create a gun owner database or registry but they can access the information off the forms as needed to investigate crimes.

Those are actually two different things. The Form 4473 is from the BATFE. It stays in the dealer's records until he goes out of business and then turned over to storage at BATFE. By Federal Law, they are never SUPPOSED to use these forms in any form of registration. You are not required to update the information that was put on those forms at anytime, even if you move or sell the firearm the day after you buy it.

The NICS check is done by your dealer to your state's law enforcement records. Again, they are not SUPPOSED to do any kind of registering of the firearm to you, only tell the dealer if you pass.

States or localities (like my particular County when it comes to handguns only) have a SEPARATE form entirely for actual registration purposes.

what are the questions that are trying to buy a gun