[John Sabato]

It would be easy for a stolen gun to enter "normal" commerce. Scenario: A gun is stolen in a burglary and transported out of state. The gun is offered as a bargain in a private sale in a classified ad in a small town newspaper... and VIOLA! A regular citizen now OWNS a gun he believes is legally his. He uses the gun for a year or more and then trades it to another person for something he wants more... The new owner realizes the value of the gun and decides to keep it and have it restored so his grandchildren will enjoy it for decades to come... off it goes to a restoration service... and for the FIRST time, the serial number is recorded as required by law of the FFL holder. Then the FFL holder's records are routinely inspected by a BATFE agent who checks some random serial numbers... One gun comes up stolen in the inspection and the FFL holder's records indicate it was return-shipped to the owner of record at a PO box that when investigated is PO box that is no longer used.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure...

I have done business with Ted Green myself, and he made sure that I understood that if I didn't possess a valid C&R license that the gun would have to be returned through a FFL holder. Sometimes in our excitement to get something accomplished, we don't always remember everything we are told. I am not saying that is what happened to you, but Ted has been doing this for over a decade and I know his policies about shipment of the firearm have not changed.