Trump should ... as any free American citizen should ...be able to golf where he chooses...As we know... Biden has been enjoying open and un-walled beach activities...
Though Trump is technically free to golf where he chooses, presidential candidates of the two major parties are not "just like any American".
Likewise, Biden very likely enjoys
seemingly open beach activities at very selected locations and at very selected times.
LE (ATF) can look at personal firearm purchase histories of individuals (Routh in this case) and 'read between the lines' so to speak, as to where and when that firearm was purchased. The fact that they can't retrieve any such info leads me to believe other avenues were used. JMO
Though the use of other avenues is still a possibility, it does not automatically follow from the circumstances. Rather, it gets uhhhmmm..... complicated, very complicated
The records in question do exist, but they are not records of purchases per se. Rather, they are records of background checks- which, as you observed, also just so happen to contain detailed information on the gun being purchased.
Semantics aside, these records are only kept for:
A- Fire arms purchases made through licensed dealers.
B- Fire arms purchased in private transactions-
if the particular State requires background checks for private transactions.
One more complication: Biden, via executive order, made background checks for most private transactions (those primarily done for financial reasons
mandatory. But.... "primarily for financial reasons" is not defined and I bet very few people selling weapons
via private transactions in my red state are following that regulation.
So, at the end of the day, I bet one can easily purchase fire arms in private transactions in Florida and North Carolina with out getting a background check.