>>>OK, let's try this one on for size... Say my dad has a 50 year old shotgun that he gives to me. Never registered in the first place... and is a gift from a parent.
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>>Ok, I'll play. This is Canada, not the U.S. I don't know that the law is in Iowa, but if the law requires you to register it, do you break the law and refuse?
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>and even so, the son is 12 and the father is 50. They were'nt considering the law when this family heirloom was passed down, so some ivory tower judge - who wears black and white cause that's how things seem to them - puts someone in jail or fines them. That's so beautiful! Sniff.

Well, fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on your viewpoint, that's how laws work. You break the law you pay the price. If you're cruising down the road not paying any attention to your speedometer and you get stopped for being 20 klicks over the limit, it's no good arguing that you weren't paying attention to the law.

In a case like the handing down of the shotgun, I strongly suspect that the law would simply demand the gun be registered once it found out, and there wouldn't be any jail time etc. Of course, that's just my opinion.