I didn't find Mark S's post offensively political. Opinions are opinions. And I suspect we should all be concerned about whether or not laws are being unfairly enforced.

And we should worry about good laws being enforced by idiots.

But this is about musical instruments in general and not just Gibson/Martin guitars. There was also a comment in the news about a piano importer who brought 10 antique pianos into the country and was busted for improperly filling out forms. A performer has had Steinway remove the ivory and ebony from his piano so it could be shipped over seas.

I would think that a check of the serial numbers should be date enough.

Don