Committee advances bill making removal of firearm serial numbers a felony after law‑enforcement testimony

The Judiciary Committee heard testimony and debated SB466FN, a bill that would raise the penalty for possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Law enforcement witness Officer Agres said investigators cannot run firearms through NCIC when serial numbers have been filed off, making it harder to link weapons to thefts.

Sponsor discussion and committee questioning focused on whether the bill would unfairly target antique firearms and whether theft and possession charges would remain available. Officer Agres told the committee that without a serial number ‘‘we do not have a way to confirm whether the gun is stolen’’ and that the inability to run the firearm through NCIC ‘‘makes it extremely difficult to investigate’’ related thefts.

The bill’s sponsor introduced amendment 1018 to elevate the offense to a class A felony while carving out an exemption for antique firearms and moving ‘‘possess’’ language to clarify the covered conduct. Committee members debated whether stealing the firearm itself is already a felony and whether the change merely shifts prosecutorial incentives; supporters said the change would remove the incentive to scratch serial numbers to obtain lesser charges.

After discussion, the committee adopted amendment 1018 and voted to advance SB466FN as amended. The committee recorded the underlying bill vote as 3 in favor and 1 opposed. The sponsor said additional floor amendments or cleanups would be acceptable before final floor consideration.

The bill now goes to the full legislature for further consideration; committee materials indicate the sponsor expects to offer floor-level clarifications.