Before you go
- Make a free SafeOrStolen account at home and add the web app to your home screen from safeorstolen.com/app, so you're not signing up on a weak signal.
- If a seller advertised a gun before the show, ask for the serial and check it from your couch.
- Look up whether your state requires private sales to go through a dealer on our state firearm transfer laws page.
- Read the show's rules on bringing in and carrying out guns, and bring your ID and any permit your state requires.
At the table, step by step
- Ask to handle the gun. Point it in a safe direction and let the seller confirm it's unloaded and show you.
- Find the serial on the frame or receiver. On a pistol it's usually on the side of the frame; on an AR-style rifle, the lower receiver. If it also appears on the slide or barrel, the numbers should match.
- Photograph it. Take a clear picture of the serial and note the table number or the seller's description.
- Enter it on SafeOrStolen. Type every letter and digit. Leave out spaces.
- Read the result. You'll see "reported stolen", "possible match" or "no report found in the records searched", with each source listed. If a report shows up, compare its make and model with the gun: different makers can use the same serial.
- Get it in writing. A bill of sale with the date, price, make, model, serial and both names. Your check stays saved in your account with the date.
Walk-around sellers and dealer transfers
At many shows, private owners walk the aisles with a gun for sale and a sign on it. These sales move fast and happen standing up. Ask to step to the side, read the serial, and check it the same way you would at a table. If the seller won't wait a minute for that, let it go.
The strongest option is to do the deal through a licensed dealer at the show. The dealer runs your background check and keeps a record of the transfer, and since August 2025 dealers can choose to check the serial against the FBI’s NCIC stolen-gun file. Ask the dealer up front whether they'll do that.
Warning signs at a gun show
An honest seller hands you the gun. If they keep it in a holster or case, move on.
Scratches, grinding, a fresh finish over the number, or digits that sit unevenly. Possessing a gun with an obliterated or altered serial is a federal crime under 18 U.S.C. § 922(k).
Walk the show first so you know what the same model is going for.
Ask where they got it. A vague answer that shifts when you ask again is a warning.
Even where the state doesn't require paperwork, refusing to write down the serial and both names is a bad sign.
A seller who wants to finish in the parking lot is avoiding show rules and witnesses.
If the gun comes back reported stolen
- Don't say anything about the result to the seller. Hand the gun back and say you'll keep looking.
- Walk away from the table.
- Tell show security or the show office, with the table number, the serial and a description of the seller.
- If there's no security, call the local police non-emergency line from outside.
- Keep your photo of the serial and the result from your account.
Questions
How do I check a gun serial number at a gun show?
Ask to hold the gun, read the serial off the frame or receiver, and enter it on SafeOrStolen (safeorstolen.com/blog/gun-show-serial-number-check) on your phone. It searches more than 220,000 police theft and loss reports from 33 states and Washington, DC, live Ohio law-enforcement records and owner reports, and flags serials that look altered. the first check is free and no app download is needed.
Can a dealer at a gun show check if a gun is stolen?
Yes, if they choose to. Since August 2025, licensed dealers can voluntarily check a serial against the FBI’s NCIC stolen-gun file. Many shows have dealers who will handle a private-party transfer at their table, which also runs your background check. Ask the dealer whether they check the serial as part of the transfer.
Do private sellers at gun shows have to run a background check?
It depends on the state the show is in. Some states require private sales to go through a licensed dealer or a permit system, and others don't. Our state firearm transfer laws page lists which is which. Either way, a background check screens the buyer, not the gun, so check the serial yourself.
What if there is no cell signal inside the gun show?
Big exhibition halls often have weak signal. Photograph the serial on the gun and the seller's table number, step outside or to a door, and run the check there before you pay. Better still, ask sellers who list guns ahead of the show for the serial and check it at home. Don't let a seller rush you past the check.
Should I check a gun I buy from a dealer table?
It's worth doing. A dealer runs your background check, but a used gun in their case may have come in as a trade-in or private purchase. Checking the serial costs you a minute, and if anything comes back you can show the dealer the result. Keep the receipt with the serial on it either way.