Had picked up firearm, called in for registration to be sent by email. No registraiton papers yet. Emailed July 28 since it was almost 2 week and was told that they were backed up. So, should I just keep the handgun in the cabinet until I get the registration paper by email?
I ask myself one question: is there any difference in the legality of having that "unregistered" firearm in your safe vs. having it in your car/at the range?
The answer I find is "no difference." in fact, the moment you picked up the firearm, you are driving around with an unregistered firearm in your possession.
You're given a certain timeframe to submit the registration application. if you did that, then getting the form back is an administrative step which doesn't affect the fact you registered it.
I'm not a cop nor a lawyer, but I've read of cases where a firearm was discovered to be unregistered (but not being used in the commission of a crime). The police simply asked the owner to register it. Gun buyers who waited until after the mandatory timeframe have gotten calls from HPD gently reminding them that the firearm they purchased hasn't been registered yet -- they know because the seller notified them they sold it.
If you want the take it to the range, just have your emails handy in case anyone ever asks. I doubt the question will ever be raised.