{"id":374802,"date":"2016-03-31T21:35:54","date_gmt":"2016-04-01T02:35:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/state\/nevada-law\/nevada-gun-control-laws.html"},"modified":"2024-10-30T13:07:00","modified_gmt":"2024-10-30T18:07:00","slug":"nevada-gun-control-laws","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/nevada-law\/nevada-gun-control-laws.html","title":{"rendered":"Nevada Gun Control Laws"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Nevada Gun Control Laws<\/h1>\n
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\n By John Mascolo, Esq.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by FindLaw Staff<\/a>\n | Last updated\n
\n \n <\/i>\n Legally Reviewed\n <\/summary>\n\n
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This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n\n

\n \n <\/i>\n Fact-Checked\n <\/summary>\n\n
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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n

Nevada, with its Old West history of gunslingers and mining towns, may not conjure up the image as a state focused on gun control. After a tragic incident, it became a focal point of the ongoing debate over gun laws and public safety. <\/p>\r\n

In 2017, a lone gunman opened fire on the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas from a 32nd-floor hotel suite, killing 58 persons and injuring hundreds more. Two of those injured died from injuries suffered during the massacre. It remains the deadliest mass shooting in American history. <\/p>\r\n

As a result, many in Nevada and elsewhere chose to revisit their gun control laws.<\/p>\r\n

The Las Vegas gunman had some 23 firearms at the time of the shooting. Most of the shots came from AR-15 assault-style rifles, many of which were equipped with bump stocks<\/a>. Many claim that bump stocks, when attached to semi-automatic rifles, allow a weapon to fire as a fully automatic firearm, like a machine gun. <\/p>\r\n

After the massacre, Congress considered legislation to ban bump stocks. When action in Congress stalled, the Trump Administration moved to make a rule change under administrative law to outlaw bump stocks. The Biden Administration continued that effort. Litigation on the legality of the rule change remains pending. <\/p>\r\n

The State of Nevada banned bump stocks in 2019. It also enacted a red flag law that year so that family members or law enforcement could petition a court for an order for protection against high-risk behavior and confiscate firearms from a person found to be at risk of causing harm to self or others.<\/p>\r\n

Federal Firearms Law<\/h2>\r\n

An understanding of federal firearms law begins with the Second Amendment<\/a> of the U.S. Constitution, which speaks of the right to bear arms. In recent case law, the U.S. Supreme Court has interpreted the amendment as providing an individual right to bear arms in public for self-defense and other lawful purposes. The right is not absolute and remains subject to state and federal regulation. <\/p>\r\n

In 2022, the Court stated the test of whether a regulation is reasonable and not overly burdensome to the right to bear arms is a historical one<\/a>. This has led to several new challenges to state and federal laws related to the carrying of firearms in public and prohibitions against firearm possession.<\/p>\r\n

Longstanding federal legislation sets a framework for the legal manufacture, sale, possession, and use of firearms. The federal government licenses gun dealers through its administrative agency, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). <\/p>\r\n

The ATF oversees the registration and use of certain dangerous weapons such as machine guns. Federal law also provides certain categories of persons, like felons, who cannot possess firearms.<\/p>\r\n

Limited Authority<\/h2>\r\n

Nevada law defines a firearm as any device designed to be used as a weapon from which a projectile can be expelled through the barrel by the force of any explosion or other form of combustion. A handgun with a barrel less than 12 inches long is a firearm that can be concealed.<\/p>\r\n

Nevada exercises limited authority in its regulation of firearms. It does not require permits to purchase guns, firearm registration, or licenses for gun owners. It does not impose a waiting period from the time of a firearm purchase to its delivery. The state has passed laws banning bump stocks and undetectable or "ghost" guns. However, it has not outlawed assault weapons.<\/p>\r\n

Since 2020, Nevada state law has required criminal background checks in private sales and transfers of firearms. Private and unlicensed individuals must go through a licensed dealer for a background check. This helps prevent guns from falling into the wrong hands. <\/p>\r\n

Firearms can be open-carried throughout Nevada, though carrying a loaded rifle or shotgun inside a motor vehicle on or along a public road is illegal.<\/p>\r\n

A Shall Issue State<\/h2>\r\n

Nevada requires citizens to obtain a concealed carry weapon or CCW permit to carry a concealed firearm. Nevada, like Texas, Florida, Colorado, and Oregon, is a "shall issue" state, which means concealed carry permits must be issued to all qualified applicants who meet the objective criteria outlined in the statute. <\/p>\r\n

Applicants must be 21 years or older in most circumstances. Nevada residents apply through their local county sheriff<\/a> (see NRS 202.3657). Non-residents can apply to any Nevada county sheriff. Applicants must provide their driver’s license information and submit their fingerprints. The sheriff will run a criminal background check as part of the process. <\/p>\r\n

The Nevada Department of Public Safety issues a reciprocity list on an annual basis. It provides what other state permits will be recognized by Nevada. Details on eligibility for a concealed firearm permit can be found in the table below. Carrying a concealed weapon in Nevada without a permit is a felony offense.<\/p>\r\n

Like other states, Nevada state law sets forth certain locations where a person cannot carry a firearm, even when they have a CCW permit. Prohibited locations include:<\/p>\r\n