information on retreveial of date of purchase

Question
i need to know how i can get information on when i purchased a 22 rifle from a dealer. is there some office in the gov, i can contact since all retail firearms have to be restered? this is in mn.

Answer
First of all, it's not quite correct to say that retail firearms have to be registered. In fact, with the exception of class 2 and class 3 weapons (mostly fully automatic), it is illegal for any government agency to register or keep a data base of firearms, although there is a (deliberately) cumbersome process by which they can be traced if a govn't agency knows the serial # and has a legitimate need to do so.

The dealer is required to keep records in a book so if you can narrow it down, and you ask him nicely, he may be willing to research for you when the gun was purchased. If the dealer is no longer in business, if you contact the manufacturer, they will have information on when and to where the gun was shipped from their factory. This should get you close.