By recording the ballistic telltales of firearms as they come off the assembly line, the FBI will be able to track a gun's serial number through it's chain of ownership, and if it is ever used in a crime law enforcement will be able to easily determine if it was ever sold or transferred illegally. Currently, I believe, ballistic evidence is only recorded on bullets and shell casings after the gun has been used in a crime, If the database contained this information on all guns, even the first time it is fired in committing a crime, law enforcement would be able to quickly find the last known registered owner, which would further any investigation, and possibly deter gun smuggling.
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