[CapnJack]

Even though firearms registration is not required, all the ATF 4473 forms are maintained by all licensed Firearms Dealers indefinitely.

The ATF can at any time compel a dealer to hand them over for review under the guise of an “audit”.

When a dealer sells the business or retires I believe he/she is obligated to hand over all 4473 forms to the ATF.

So there is a “defacto” registration already in existence ... unfortunately.

[NorthMountain]

[4473, etc] True ... and it’s a violation of 2A, along with simply having no constitutional authorization.

But that’s not what ignorami are asking about when they ask if your guns are “registered”.

[Sooth2222]

"So there is a “defacto” registration already in existence ... unfortunately."

Yes, but AFAIK, the ATF 4473 forms are not digital and while it is not too difficult to trace a single firearm to a particular FFL and retail purchaser, it becomes more problematic to convert all 4473s, most of which remain in the FFL's files, to a digital record. (This is a good thing, IMO.)

[Alas Babylon!]

I’ve purchased all my firearms from private individuals. Not a single 4473 found.

[Eagles6]

To a certain extent.

Does not encompass firearms passed on in a family, given as gifts, long guns sold in private sales...