imported post
So this applies to all states, right?
No, it just applies to Pennsylvania, and many other states, but not all states.
So all it really means is that he bought the gun that was in his possession. What a stroke of genius.
The Pennsylvania Record of Sales/Transfers database is just that, and nothing more. If you moved into Pennsylvania and owned firearms, Pennsylvania has no idea that you own such. If you receive a firearm from your parent, or your child, or your grandchild/grandparent, there is no record of transfer required, and again Pennsylvania has no idea that you own such.
Local police (and possibly the State Police) attempt to use the record of sales/transfers database as a default registry, but that goes against the purpose of the database (which obviously doesn't stop them from doing such). They, in turn, tell the ever-alert media that the firearm was or was not "registered" to the individual, who, in turn, puts such misinformation out over the airwaves or in the print media.
If, for some such reason, the police conducted such an illegal search on my handguns (they would need probable cause to suspect they were stolen, elsewise the search is illegal), they would find one handgun in my name, but not the other. The other was a gift from my son, and such transfers require no interaction with a firearms dealer.