I send mine in and I want to believe that it is all for marketing purposes. I would think that the BATFE or some other government agency could not look at their sales records without a subpoena or warrant.

I sent in one of my S&W semi-auto pistols in for some trigger work (yes, it was an SW9VE if you must know!) and they never asked for a receipt or any other proof of purchase. I also had an issue with a Ruger revolver. The tip of the base pin broke (the pin that holds the cylinder in the frame) and when I called their repair center, all they wanted to know was my name and address so they would know where to send the replacement! So in my experience, it seems like they don't need to know anything about when and where the gun was purchased in order to honor their service policy.

That being said, every Ruger and S&W gun that I have bought recently has come with a spent shell in a little manilla envelope. In some jurisdictions, this shell must be sent to the local law enforcement agency and kept on file. Believe me, that is NOT for marketing purposes!

Scott

For a guarantee to be effective, one needs only legally purchase the merchandise. No "registration" with the manufacturer or seller is required (except that required by state and federal law, of course).
However, should the manufacturer later discover a flaw in the product you purchased, your registration paper in the manufacturer's files may allow them to notify you and effect a repair or exchange (depending, of course, upon the manufacturer's efficiency and original intent).
Two cases in point have involved Ruger pistols. Ruger went through its files, and quickly notified the people who had sent in their registration papers of the recalls and required repairs.
Other than that, yes, it's a scheme to acquire marketing information.

Did you have any problem with your firearms dealer recording the serial number? They did indeed do that, so your firearm is already registered, more or less.

Sending in the reg. card only accomplishes two things - it allows the manufacturer to contact you if ever needed, and it gives them a name to sell to other companies who do advertising.

Since I pay attention to the firearm world, I do not send my cards in. I know that if one of my firearms is recalled, I will find out about it.

Thanks for the information. I too have noticed that manila envelope with the spent cartridge cases inside and realize that some states require that these be sent to some law enforcement agency. North Carolina does not require it. In the case of the states that do, I assume that it is the responsibility of the dealer to forward the spent shell and I would bet that the serial number of the gun along with a copy of the purchaser's driver's license goes along with it. That's back door gun registration. Are firing pin marks on a shell casing as definitive as rifling marks on a bullet? I have never thought so.

PhilR. By law the dealer must record the serial number. I think that the yellow form is a federal form. That form is kept by the gun dealer"forever and ever" and not forwarded to a government agency, however should an over zealous, left wing political climate emerge the government agencies could certainly demand these records and get them. You ask if I have a problem with it? I'll answer this way; it doesn't exactly give me a warm and fuzzy feeling but it's law.

Originally Posted by gilream

...I think that the yellow form is a federal form. That form is kept by the gun dealer"forever and ever" and not forwarded to a government agency...

Um, that's not true.
When a dealer quits business, or merely gives up his FFL, all of his firearms-transactions records are sent to BATFE (the feds) for permanent archiving.
Now, that's "backdoor registration." (Except the BATFE probably never looks at them.)