PMFs are also made without a serial number placed by a licensed manufacturer at the time the firearm was produced. However, not all PMFs are illegal and not all firearms are required to have a serial number. ATF has compiled some information on the different types of PMFs and things to consider while owning one.
The lower receiver is the part of the AR 15 that contains the fire control group (the trigger, disconnector, hammer, and fire selector), so this is the only portion of the AR that must be marked with a serial number, manufacturer's name, and so on.
Also no one back then could have anticipated how popular the AR-15 would become. The military is responsible for the location of the serial number on the AR15. For the military the serial number is for inventory purposes so the location of serial number is for ease in reading it.
If the firearm has no serial number, and never had a serial number, the lack of a serial number renders the firearm illegal. Except a non-NFA home manufacture that you have no intent to sell, which we will explain later.
Possession of an unregistered firearm is also covered by federal laws and can also be charged as a federal offense. 26 U.S.C. § 5861(d) provides that it is a crime for a person to receive or possess a firearm not registered to them in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
Are firearms that were made prior to the Gun Control Act of 1968 required to be marked with a serial number by a licensee? No, unless remanufactured after the enactment of the GCA, October 22, 1968.
The Virginia Code attempts to address this by providing that: “It shall be unlawful for any person to manufacture, import, sell, transfer or possess any plastic firearm.
In addition, because ghost guns do not have a serial number, they cannot be traced when they are used to commit a crime, preventing law enforcement from effectively investigating violent crimes. Ghost guns are the fastest-growing gun safety problem facing our country.
If convicted, they could be sentenced to up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $2,500, and loss of the weapon. Felon. An individual convicted of a felony is prohibited from possessing or transporting a firearm or concealed firearm pursuant to Virginia Code §18.2-308.2.