I’m talking more about purchases from retailers after May 2022. Technically if you purchased from a store, the make, model, and serial number are attached to you. A reference number for that transaction is then issued to you after license verification. In order to legally transfer that same firearm via private sale, a reference number must be attained for the sale to proceed.
If you claim you sold said firearms when pressed, without a reference number proving that firearm was transferred, there’s no evidence of a legal transfer. This leads the authorities to believing two things; firearm was not legally transferred, or it’s still in your possession and you’re refusing to comply.
Both are bad and likely won’t end well. I suspect the feds will be forcing retailers to give up information about customers. If the business closes they have to give up records anyway. Prior to license verification, they have no idea because NR transfers never required a reference number tracking transfers.