The ineffectiveness of government negates the question of whether to register a gun.
Back when I got wind of the ban coming here in CA. I told my friends and we ALL went out and bought at least 1 lower receiver(AR). Some guys bought 2 or 3. Same to a lesser extent when the 50 cal ban came. The guys that could afford it, pooled their money and bought 2.
When the registration came along, some registered and some didn't. I went down the the Van Nuys PD office to get the form. They had no idea what I was talking about. I went over to the North Hollywood PD office and they had the form but didn't know what to do with it.
I asked how they'd know if I registered the weapon or not? They would have to call Sacramento and have someone look it up by hand in a paper file system. Pretty unlikely.
I got pulled over for speeding once while I had 3 rifles in the truck bed. The cop asked me what they were and if they were registered. I told him what they were but didn't say if they were registered. I think he was just curious. He didn't ask to see them.