@gollum,
gollum wrote:When a person applies for a background check to purchase a gun or semi-automatic, is a record kept of it?
It is a crime to do so. Sometimes Democratic administrations attempt to break the law.
The NRA is pretty good at getting on their case when they do, though.
gollum wrote:Does the government know where the legal purchasers are?
Not directly.
If they have a gun with a specific serial number though, they can go to the store that sold the gun and consult the Form 4473.