TexasCHLforum.com

I don't know if you can completely prevent it, unless you only buy through an FFL, but you can reduce the odds.......

1. Only buy from someone you know, and knowing something about the provenance of the pistol they're selling.

2. Get a bill of sale, with the seller's signature, and if possible, his/her contact information.

3. If the seller is willing, you can ask your local PD to run the serial number before buying. It is my understanding that many police departments will do that. If the seller is confident of the provenance, perhaps they won't mind. But even if they do mind, that's not proof that the gun is stolen.

Personally, I try to keep gov't out of my business as much as possible, and all of the used guns I've purchased or sold since January of 2008 were handled face to face with other members of this forum. It may be naive, but I assume that other regular participating members of this forum are decent upstanding people who would never knowingly buy or sell a stolen gun.

The bottom line is that, if you can obtain a bill of sale with the seller's contact information, you are more or less protected from any criminal liability if the gun is stolen. You would probably have the gun confiscated, but as long as you can prove that you bought it in good faith, you would probably not be charged with anything.