Can you find the owner history of your firearm by doing a serial number search?

Answer 1

In the United States there is no gun registration on the Federal level and no registration of any kind in most states. There is no way to trace ownership through just a serial number.

There may be manufacturer's records that will indicate the date (or at least the year) of manufacture. Springfield Research Center has searched records in the National Archives and identified many records of guns that were issued to, inventoried by, or disposed of by, various military units, and the results of their research are available for a fee. Cody Museum in Wyoming has records of most Winchester rifles which usually only indicates the dates manufactured and shipped and the shipping destination, usually a wholesaler but occasionally a special order from a famous individual. These records will also tell the original configuration if it was different than standard. These Winchester letters are very expensive. There is a similar service for Colt firearms and Smith and Wesson. Some similar information is available for older Stevens firearms from a private historian who owns the factory records. Keep in mind, this will only get you the original owner.

In countries that have registration it may be possible to trace ownership since the registration was instituted, but this information may be limited to law enforcement.