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NCIC Stolen Gun Database

Written by Jarad on August 4, 2025

About the NCIC Stolen Gun File

In June 2022, the BSCA (Bipartisan Safer Communities Act – Public Law 117-159) was enacted, and Section 12004(h) directs explicitly the FBI to provide FFLs “information necessary to verify whether firearms offered for sale to such licensees have been stolen.” In plain English: the law gives you a pathway to check the NCIC Stolen Gun File before you acquire a firearm into your inventory.

As of August 4, 2025, all Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) will be able to voluntarily query the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC) Gun File to determine if a firearm has been reported as stolen

While federal law does not mandate FFLs to check if firearms are stolen before acquisition, your state or local law may

How to access the NCIC Stolen Gun File

The FBI has provided three methods for querying stolen gun records:

  • NICS E-Check Portal (https://www.cjis.gov/)

    • Use the new “Stolen Gun Query” tool, separate from standard background check forms.

      • Your FFL MUST be registered to access eNICS.

      • You’ll get results directly from the NCIC database, but only if the serial number is an exact match.

      • Result fields include: Serial Number, Make, Model, Caliber, Type.

  • State or Local Law Enforcement Partnering

    • Some states have existing partnerships allowing agencies to run NCIC queries on behalf of FFLs.
      ​

  • State-Hosted Secure Site or Data Extract

    • A few states offer access through a secure application or extract of the NCIC Gun File.

    • View state-specific access methods here: www.fbi.gov/nics-ffl

Before you check to see if a firearm is stolen you MUST understand your state, local, and business license requirements are when acquiring firearms from a non-licensee

Q&A

Does federal law require an FFL to verify whether a firearm is stolen?

  • No. Federal law makes such checks voluntary for FFLs, though state, tribal or local regulations may differ.

Do I have access to the NCIC Stolen Gun File in my state?

  • Yes, however some states may additionally require the use of a state administered process. For more information see our Help Article.

I’m in a Point-of-Contact (POC) state for NICS background checks—may I still use NICS E-Check?

  • Yes. POC-state FFLs can register with the FBI’s NICS Section to run stolen-gun checks via E-Check.

What information is required to run a search?

  • Only the firearm’s serial number (SER) is needed in NICS E-Check; state systems may request more.

If a firearm has several numbers, which one should I use?

  • Start with the number on the frame or receiver; if no match appears, submit additional queries with other numbers (e.g., on the slide).

What if the serial number is longer than 20 characters?

  • First search the right-most 20 characters; if nothing matches, search the left-most 20 characters.

How do I check a firearm with no serial number or with an obliterated one?

  • If the required serial number has been removed or altered, report the firearm to ATF and local authorities. If the gun never legally had a serial number (e.g., a pre-1968 firearm), run the search using any other identifiers present.

What response, if any, will I get?

  • Positive Match

    • You’ll get a response noting potential stolen status.

    • Validate all information provided by NCIC (e.g. manufacturer, model, caliber/gauge, etc.) to attempt to determine if the match is accurate.

    • Do NOT attempt to retain the firearm — doing so may violate 18 U.S.C. § 922(j).

    • Immediately notify ATF and your local law enforcement agency.
      ​

  • No Record

    • You’ll receive a “NO RECORD” message — no stolen entries matched the serial number submitted.

How do I interpret the response?

  • NICS E-Check only returns a record when the serial number is an exact match to an NCIC stolen-gun entry. Review make, model, caliber, etc., to confirm you’re looking at the same firearm.

Who should I contact if I receive a positive match?

  • Promptly notify ATF and the law-enforcement agency that has jurisdiction where the firearm is located.

Am I expected to hold a firearm that returns a positive match?

  • No. Retaining it could violate 18 U.S.C. § 922(j); follow ATF or local-law-enforcement guidance instead.

Must I tell the seller I’m running an NCIC check?

  • Federal law doesn’t mandate notice, but you should consult counsel about any state-level requirements.

When can FFLs that are not yet enrolled with NICS sign up, and when will NCIC Gun File access be active?

  • Enrollment is open now, and the search capability for newly enrolled FFLs will go live on Monday, August 4, 2025

How to check if a firearm has been reported as stolen in FastBound

A firearm may still be stolen even when NCIC Stolen Gun File returns a response of “No Record”. If you are unsure or suspect the firearm may be stolen you should seek advice from your legal counsel, local law enforcement, the ATF, or refuse to purchase the firearm from the seller

You must have our extension installed for the CJIS Stolen Gun Query button to work. If you do not have our extension installed you can follow the steps in this help article.

Click on the “CJIS Stolen Gun Query” button

The “CJIS Stolen Gun Query” button can be found on these three pages.

  • Pending Acquisition

    • You’re pending acquisition must have an Acquire Type and an item for the button to show.

  • Acquisition Recipt

    • After committing an acquisition on the Acquisition Receipt page.

  • Item Details page

    • Search for any item to get to the items details page.

Clicking the “CJIS Stolen Gun Query” button will open the login page for CJIS.

  • Login to CJIS

    • Enter your Username and Password then click the Login button.

    • Select “Stolen Gun Query” from the menu.

    • Enter the serial for the firearm you are searching for.

      • You can enter the serial number manually by typing it into the search box.

      • Then click the Search button to search for the firearm.

      • You can autofill the serial number in the search box by using our Extension. If you do not have our extension installed you can follow the instructions in our help article.

        • Click on our extension and choose the serial number you want to search for.

If you have more than one item on the Acuisition Receipt you’ll have to search for each one individually.

Get your Results

  • If there is a hit for the serial number you searched for you will receive the following information

    • Inquiry ID

    • Caveat Text

      • ***THIS INFORMATION IS BASED ON SEARCHING AN EXACT GUN SERIAL NUMBER*** GUN SERIAL NUMBER INFORMATION SUBMITTED RESULTED IN A POTENTIAL MATCH TO AN NCIC STOLEN GUN RECORD. PLEASE REVIEW THE RECORD IN ITS ENTIRETY. TO CONFIRM THE NCIC STOLEN GUN RECORD, PLEASE CONTACT LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT FOR FURTHER ASSISTANCE.

    • Serial number

    • Make

    • Model

    • Caliber

    • Gun Type
      ​

  • If there is not a hit for the serial number you searded for you will receive the following response

    • “NO RECORD”

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