Nevada firearms laws let any legally eligible adult own a rifle or shotgun at 18, own a handgun and apply for a concealed carry permit at 21, and openly carry in most public places without any license at all. The state runs nearly every sale through a background check, bans guns from schools and certain other locations, recognizes stand-your-ground self-defense, and punishes violations on a scale that runs from misdemeanor fines to category B felonies with multi-year prison terms. Several rules trip people up, especially the collision between legal marijuana and federal gun law.
Who Can’t Own a Firearm
NRS 202.360 bars several categories of people from owning or possessing any firearm in Nevada: anyone convicted of a felony in any jurisdiction, anyone convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence, and anyone currently subject to an extended protection order that specifically prohibits firearm possession. People adjudicated as mentally ill or involuntarily committed to a mental health facility are also prohibited under both state and federal law.1Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes 202.360 – Ownership or Possession of Firearm by Certain Persons Prohibited
Federal law adds more disqualifying categories: fugitives from justice, anyone dishonorably discharged from the military, anyone who has renounced U.S. citizenship, and anyone unlawfully in the United States.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
Age creates a wrinkle. An 18-year-old can own a rifle or shotgun, but federal law prohibits licensed dealers from selling handguns to anyone under 21. Nevada does not explicitly ban private handgun transfers to people between 18 and 20, so someone in that age range can legally receive a handgun in a private sale even though a gun store cannot sell them one.
The Marijuana Trap
This is the biggest sleeper issue in Nevada gun law. Recreational marijuana is legal under state law, but federal law still classifies marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance. Under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(3), any “unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance” is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts A Nevada resident using marijuana legally under state law is still a prohibited person under federal law.
The conflict is unavoidable at the counter. ATF Form 4473, which every dealer buyer completes, asks whether the purchaser is an unlawful user of marijuana or any other controlled substance and warns in bold that marijuana use remains unlawful federally regardless of state legalization.3Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Firearms Transaction Record – ATF Form 4473 Answering “no” while using marijuana is a federal felony for making a false statement. Answering “yes” ends the sale. There is no clean path for a regular marijuana user to legally buy a firearm from a licensed dealer.
Buying and Transferring Firearms
Since 2019, nearly all firearm sales and transfers in Nevada must run through a federally licensed dealer for a background check. SB 143 closed the private-sale exception that year by requiring private parties to route transactions through a dealer who runs the buyer through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). Dealer fees for this service typically run $25 to $50, sometimes more.
Transfers between immediate family members are exempt, meaning spouses, parents, children, grandparents, and grandchildren. Temporary transfers for lawful purposes are also exempt, such as lending a firearm at a shooting range or during a hunting trip.
At a licensed dealer, the buyer completes Form 4473, and the dealer submits the information to NICS. Most checks clear in minutes. A “delayed” response holds the sale for up to three business days; for buyers under 21, that delay can stretch to 10 business days while juvenile records are checked.4Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. ATF Form 4473 – Firearms Transaction Record Revisions Nevada imposes no additional waiting period.
Open Carry Without a Permit
Nevada allows open carry. Anyone legally eligible to possess a firearm may openly carry it in most public places, whether that’s a holstered handgun or a slung rifle. There is no permit and no application. The rule comes from the absence of a prohibiting statute rather than an affirmative right, but the practical effect is the same. Non-residents legally eligible to possess firearms may open carry on the same terms as residents.
Law enforcement cannot stop or detain someone solely for openly carrying where it is legal.5Justia. United States v. Brown, No. 17-30191 (9th Cir. 2019) Officers can still approach and ask questions on a voluntary basis, and context matters. Open carry near a school or at a protest draws different attention than open carry on a hiking trail.
Concealed Carry Permits
Carrying a concealed handgun in public requires a Nevada Concealed Firearm Permit (CFP). The state is shall-issue: the local sheriff must grant the permit if the applicant meets every legal requirement, with no discretionary denial.
Applicants must be at least 21, with an exception for active-duty military and honorably discharged veterans aged 18 to 20. Every applicant completes a firearms safety course covering Nevada firearms law, safe carry practices, and live-fire qualification. The permit lists the specific categories of handguns the holder is qualified to carry.
Application fees run about $99 in most counties, covering the application, FBI fingerprint processing, and administrative costs.6Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Concealed Carry Firearm Permits (CCW)7Washoe County Sheriff’s Office. Fee Schedule The safety course itself is separate, typically $85 to $200. Permits are valid for five years. Renewal runs about $64 and requires a refresher course and updated background check.8Douglas County Sheriff. Concealed Weapon Permits
Out-of-State Permits
Nevada recognizes concealed carry permits from certain other states, with the current list maintained by the Nevada Department of Public Safety.9Nevada Records, Communications and Compliance Division. Out-of-State CCW Recognition Recognized permit holders may carry concealed in Nevada on the same terms as Nevada permit holders, including every prohibited-location rule. The permit must be physically carried while armed. Visitors from non-recognized states cannot carry concealed but may open carry.
Alcohol and Firearms
NRS 202.257 makes it unlawful to possess a firearm with a blood or breath alcohol concentration of 0.08 or higher, or while under the influence of any controlled substance.10Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes 202.257 – Possession of Firearm When Under the Influence of Alcohol or Controlled Substance The 0.08 threshold matches the state’s DUI standard. This applies whether you are openly carrying, carrying concealed on a permit, or simply have a firearm on you at a bar or restaurant. A violation is a misdemeanor and can also cost you the permit.
Where You Can’t Carry
Certain places are off-limits regardless of permit status.
Schools and Childcare Facilities
NRS 202.265 prohibits carrying a firearm on the property of any public or private K-12 school, childcare facility, or Nevada System of Higher Education campus, and in school vehicles. The only exception is written permission from the school’s president or a designee. Violation is a gross misdemeanor punishable by up to 364 days in jail and a fine up to $2,000.11Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes 202.265 – Possession of Dangerous Weapon on Property or in Vehicle of School or Child Care Facility
Public Buildings
Public buildings are more permissive than most people assume. Under NRS 202.3673, CFP holders may carry concealed in most public buildings. The exceptions are public buildings at airports, buildings with metal detectors at every public entrance, and buildings that post no-firearms signs at every public entrance.12Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes 202.3673 – Permittee Authorized to Carry Concealed Firearm While on Premises of Public Building; Exceptions; Penalty Public buildings on school or college property fall under the school ban. Courthouses and many government offices install detectors or post signs and are effectively off-limits, but not every public building is.
Federal buildings such as post offices and Social Security offices are governed by federal law, which prohibits firearms regardless of state permits. A violation is a federal offense.
Private Property
Private businesses, casinos and shopping malls included, can bar firearms on their premises. These bans are enforced through trespass law rather than firearm law. If a property owner or employee asks you to leave and you refuse, you face misdemeanor trespass charges under NRS 207.200.13Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes 207.200 – Unlawful Trespass
Local Ordinances
Nevada preempts local firearms regulation under NRS 268.418 for cities and NRS 244.364 for counties.14Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes 268.418 – State Control of Regulation of Firearms Cities and counties can regulate unsafe discharge but cannot create their own permit systems, ban types of firearms, or impose restrictions beyond state law. The rules are the same in Las Vegas, Reno, and every rural county.
Self-Defense and Stand Your Ground
Nevada is a stand-your-ground state. NRS 200.120 defines justifiable homicide to include necessary self-defense, defense of an occupied home or vehicle, and defense of another against someone clearly intending to commit a violent felony. The statute explicitly provides that a person has no duty to retreat before using deadly force if they are not the original aggressor and have a right to be where the confrontation occurs.15Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes 200.120 – Justifiable Homicide Defined; No Duty to Retreat Under Certain Circumstances
The no-retreat rule applies anywhere you are lawfully present, and Nevada’s castle doctrine sits inside this broader framework. That is not a license to shoot first. The force used must still be necessary and reasonable, and the defender cannot have provoked the confrontation. A self-defense claim that fails those tests results in a murder or manslaughter charge, not an acquittal.
Restricted Items and Bump Stocks
Nevada permits ownership of many items regulated at the federal level, provided the owner complies with the National Firearms Act (NFA).
Machine guns manufactured before May 1986 may be legally possessed if registered under the NFA. Possessing an unregistered machine gun is a federal crime carrying up to 10 years in prison.16Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC Chapter 53 – Machine Guns, Destructive Devices, and Certain Other Firearms17GovInfo. 18 USC 924 – Penalties
Short-barreled rifles (barrels under 16 inches), short-barreled shotguns (barrels under 18 inches), and suppressors are legal in Nevada but require NFA registration. The buyer submits ATF Form 4, pays a $200 transfer tax, provides fingerprints and a photograph, and waits for ATF approval before taking possession. Processing often takes several months.
Bump stocks are the exception. The federal bump stock ban was struck down by the Supreme Court in Garland v. Cargill (2024), which held that bump stocks do not meet the statutory definition of a machine gun.18Supreme Court of the United States. Garland v. Cargill, No. 22-976 (2024) Nevada, however, passed its own ban on bump stocks and similar rapid-fire trigger modification devices in 2019 after the Las Vegas mass shooting, and that state ban is still in force.
Penalties
Nevada’s firearm penalties escalate steeply.
- Concealed carry without a permit is a category C felony under NRS 202.350, punishable by one to five years in prison and a fine up to $10,000.19Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes 202.350 – Manufacture, Importation, Possession or Use of Dangerous Weapon or Silencer; Carrying Concealed Weapon Without Permit; Penalties
- Firearm possession by someone prohibited for a felony or domestic violence conviction is a category B felony under NRS 202.360, one to six years in prison and a fine up to $5,000.1Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes 202.360 – Ownership or Possession of Firearm by Certain Persons Prohibited
- Firearm possession by someone prohibited for mental health reasons or unlawful immigration status is a category D felony under NRS 202.360.
- Discharging a firearm in a public place is a misdemeanor under NRS 202.280. If the discharge causes substantial bodily harm or death, it becomes a category B felony under NRS 202.287.20Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes 202.280 – Discharging Firearm in or Upon Public Streets or in Places of Public Resort21Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes 202.287 – Discharging Firearm at or Into Structure, Vehicle, Aircraft, or Watercraft
- Using a firearm during any other crime adds one to 20 years to the underlying sentence under NRS 193.165.22Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code NRS 193.165 – Additional Penalty: Use of Deadly Weapon or Tear Gas in Commission of Crime
That last enhancement is the one that catches people. Committing an otherwise minor crime while armed can transform the sentence dramatically. A robbery that might carry a few years on its own can result in decades of combined prison time once the firearm enhancement is added.
Seizure and Red Flag Orders
Law enforcement may seize firearms used in crimes or possessed illegally. NRS 179.1164 makes property connected to felony activity subject to forfeiture.23Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes 179.1164 – Property Subject to Seizure and Forfeiture; Exceptions An owner can contest forfeiture in court, but the burden is on them to prove lawful ownership and lawful use. If the court finds the firearm was involved in a crime, it may be destroyed, sold, or retained by law enforcement.
Nevada also has a red flag law under NRS 33.500 and related statutes authorizing extreme risk protection orders. Law enforcement or family members can petition for an ERPO against someone they believe poses a danger to themselves or others. If granted, the subject must surrender all firearms immediately. The order is temporary, and the subject may request a hearing to challenge the seizure and seek return of the firearms. Violating an ERPO can produce additional criminal charges.
Restoring Firearm Rights
A Nevada felony conviction does not always mean a permanent ban. The Nevada Board of Pardons Commissioners can grant a pardon that explicitly restores firearm rights.24State of Nevada. Nevada Board of Pardons Commissioners A pardon does not automatically restore firearm rights unless it says so. The process is complex and often takes years.
At the federal level, 18 U.S.C. § 925(c) allows a prohibited person to apply to the Attorney General for relief from federal firearm disabilities, with judicial review available if denied.25Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 925 – Exceptions: Relief from Disabilities As a practical matter, Congress has blocked ATF funding for processing these applications for decades, so the federal relief pathway is largely unavailable.
Traveling With a Firearm
Nevada residents heading out of state and out-of-state visitors passing through both benefit from the federal Firearm Owners Protection Act. Under 18 U.S.C. § 926A, a person who may lawfully possess a firearm at both the origin and destination of a trip may transport it across state lines if it is unloaded and stored where it is not readily accessible from the passenger compartment. In a vehicle without a separate trunk, it must be in a locked container other than the glove compartment or center console.26Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 926A – Interstate Transportation of Firearms
FOPA covers transit only. If you stop overnight or make an extended stay in a state with stricter laws, that state’s laws govern. Nevada’s permissive rules do not travel with you once you cross the state line, so check the law of every state on the route, not just the destination.