5 Python Revolver

Question
My husband carried  this gun as a trooper in the State of Florida, Serial #K-74105.  It was sold on 10/30/91 to Gulf State Distributing.  I would like to find the gun and give it to him as a gift.  He is now retired.  Any idea on how I can locate the gun?

Answer
There is probably no way to locate it. The Distributor could have sold it to any FFL in the country. The FFL in turn could have sold to anyone who passed a background check, and although BATFE requires FFLs to keep records, it is illegal for the government to track such transactions unless a crime has been committed. Only if a gun is used in a crime can they initiate a search to find what route it's taken. Without a crime being committed it's a privacy issue.

In addition to all that, once a private individual buys a gun, only a few states require subsequent transactions to take place through an FFL, so the gun could have changed hands privately a number of times by now.

My recommendation would be to try to find a gun like it, as your odds of finding that particular gun are about the same as winning the lottery.

When you look for one, the Python was manufactured in a 6", 4" and (rarely) at 2" barrel configuration. The 6" models were target guns, or used for PPC competition. Issue duty guns were usually the 4" variety.

Good luck.