"I checked the registry..."

I know I shouldn't expect any amount of accuracy from television, but I almost choked last night while watching "Bones", when Booth told a guy he was questioning that he "checked the registry"...

I thought about opening a discussion about it on a show forum, but then it occurred that there are plenty of people who would start PUSHING for a "registry" if they knew that such didn't exist...

On a slightly more positive note, I HAVE notice that the gun handling on "Fringe" is significantly BETTER than I'm used to seeing on TV. (not necessarily great, just better).

There is a registry, but it works a little different than what most people think and not what the Brady Bunch wants to see. The ATF tracks guns from they are manufactured until they are sold for the first time (the person's name is not tracked). If a lot of guns are traced back to the same dealer, they the ATF would probably pay the dealer a visit. This happened just a few weeks ago, but I don't remember what state it was in. You can read more about it here if you want to:
http://www.atf.gov/publications/fact...ng-center.html

There is also a multiple sales registry that you have to register handguns in if you buy more than one handgun within a 7 day period. You can still buy as many as you want within 7 days, but the ATF may pay you a visit and you need to have proof that you still have the weapons or show papers that they were legally transferred.

If a gun is reported stolen, it's serial number is entered into a database as well. When LEO's want to run a guns numbers, they are checking to see if it's reported stolen. Whether that applies would depend on what the scene was about. Surely Hollywood would not get important facts about guns wrong. :rolleyes:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mandalitten

There is a registry, but it works a little different than what most people think and not what the Brady Bunch wants to see. The ATF tracks guns from they are manufactured until they are sold for the first time (the person's name is not tracked). If a lot of guns are traced back to the same dealer, they the ATF would probably pay the dealer a visit. This happened just a few weeks ago, but I don't remember what state it was in. You can read more about it here if you want to:
http://www.atf.gov/publications/fact...ng-center.html

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This is the same registry that was mentioned over and over in the multi-part series written in the Washington Post a couple months ago. The article was about "crime" guns being bought in high numbers from certain dealers in Maryland and Virginia.