To buy a gun in Nevada you need a valid government-issued photo ID with your current address, you need to meet the age requirement (18 for a rifle or shotgun, 21 for a handgun from a dealer), and you need to pass a background check that costs $25. That applies whether you’re buying from a gun store or from another private person, because Nevada routes almost all private sales through a licensed dealer too.
Age Requirements
Federal law sets the minimum ages, and Nevada follows them. A licensed dealer cannot sell a rifle or shotgun to anyone under 18, and cannot sell a handgun to anyone under 21.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 922 – Unlawful Acts There is no Nevada workaround for a younger buyer at a store.
For handguns bought privately, the federal floor is 18.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 922 – Unlawful Acts But because Nevada requires almost every private handgun transfer to go through a licensed dealer, and the dealer is bound by the 21 rule, the practical age for buying a handgun in Nevada is 21 regardless of who is selling it.
Identification at the Counter
Every purchase from a licensed dealer requires a valid, government-issued photo ID. A Nevada driver’s license or state-issued ID card is the standard document. It needs to show your name, date of birth, and current residential address.
If the address on your ID is out of date, bring a second document that proves where you live now. A current vehicle registration, a property tax bill, or a utility bill in your name will work. The dealer has to confirm you’re a Nevada resident and that your address matches what you write on the federal paperwork.
The Background Check and Fee
Once your ID is verified, you fill out ATF Form 4473, the federal firearms transaction record. It collects your personal information and asks a series of yes-or-no questions to confirm you are not prohibited from owning a gun. Lying on the form is a federal felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison.2Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Firearms Transaction Record – ATF Form 4473
The dealer then submits your information to Nevada’s Point of Contact Firearms Program, run by the state’s Records, Communications and Compliance Division. The program checks Nevada criminal history records and the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System, which lets it see in-state records the FBI alone would miss.3Nevada State Police Records, Communications and Compliance Division. Point of Contact Firearms Program
The check costs $25. That fee is non-refundable and is charged at the time of the request, so you pay it even if the sale is later canceled or denied.4Nevada State Police Records, Communications and Compliance Division. Federal Firearms License (FFL)
The check returns one of three answers: proceed, denied, or delayed. “Proceed” means the dealer can complete the sale that day. Nevada does not impose a separate waiting period, so a clean result is a same-day purchase. “Denied” ends the transaction.
“Delayed” means the program needs more time. It has three business days to finish researching your background. If three business days pass without a final answer, the status becomes “unresolved,” and federal law lets the dealer release the firearm at their own discretion. Many wait anyway rather than transfer a gun to someone who could still come back denied. The program keeps researching unresolved cases for up to 90 days.5State of Nevada Records, Communications and Compliance Division. Point of Contact Firearms Program – FAQs
Who Cannot Pass the Background Check
Before you spend $25 on a check, know what will block it. Nevada law, under NRS 202.360, prohibits several categories of people from buying or possessing a firearm:
- Anyone convicted of a felony, unless they’ve received a pardon that does not restrict their right to bear arms.6Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes 202.360 – Ownership or Possession of Firearm by Certain Persons Prohibited; Penalties
- Fugitives from justice.
- Anyone who unlawfully uses or is addicted to a controlled substance.
- Anyone convicted of battery constituting domestic violence, or subject to a court finding related to stalking.
- Anyone a court has adjudicated as mentally ill or committed to a mental health facility, anyone who pleaded or was found guilty but mentally ill, and anyone acquitted by reason of insanity.
- Anyone in the country unlawfully.6Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes 202.360 – Ownership or Possession of Firearm by Certain Persons Prohibited; Penalties
An active extreme risk protection order will also block the sale. If a court has granted an emergency or extended order under NRS 33.560, the person named must surrender any firearms and cannot buy new ones for the duration of the order.7Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes 33.560 – Filing of Verified Application
Buying From a Private Seller
You cannot simply hand cash to a private seller in Nevada and walk away with a gun. Under NRS 202.2547, both parties must appear together at a licensed dealer with the firearm, and the dealer runs a background check on the buyer just as if the store were selling the gun itself.8Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes 202.2547 – Background Check Required for Certain Sales or Transfers of Firearms Between Unlicensed Persons; Procedure So as the buyer in a private sale, you still need everything you would need at a store: photo ID, proof of address if needed, the $25 background check fee, and a passing result.
You’ll also pay the dealer a transfer fee on top of the $25. The statute allows a reasonable charge for facilitating the transaction, and in practice this usually runs $25 to $75.8Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes 202.2547 – Background Check Required for Certain Sales or Transfers of Firearms Between Unlicensed Persons; Procedure If the check comes back denied, the firearm goes back to the seller and the sale is off.
There are limited exceptions under NRS 202.2548. Transfers between immediate family — spouses, domestic partners, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews, including step- and adoptive relations — don’t require a background check. Neither does a temporary handoff at an established shooting range, as long as you have no reason to think the person is prohibited or planning a crime.9Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes 202.2548 – Exceptions to Requirement of Background Check Cousins, friends, and coworkers do not qualify for the family exception.
If You Live Out of State
Nevada residency changes what you can buy. Federal law prohibits a licensed dealer from selling a handgun to anyone who lives in another state.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 922 – Unlawful Acts A visitor cannot buy a handgun in Nevada, period.
Rifles and shotguns are different. A Nevada dealer can sell a long gun to an out-of-state resident, but only if the sale would also be legal under the laws of the buyer’s home state. A California resident, for example, can only buy a rifle in Nevada if the specific rifle and configuration would also be legal to transfer under California law. Dealers who know they’d be violating another state’s rules will usually refuse the sale.
Buying a Gun Is Not the Same as Carrying One
Everything above gets you ownership. Carrying a handgun concealed in Nevada is a separate process with its own permit, its own training requirement, and its own fees, all handled through your local sheriff’s office. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, for instance, charges $99 for a new concealed carry permit application plus $18 for fingerprint cards.10Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Concealed Carry Firearm Permits (CCW) Passing a background check to buy a firearm does not authorize you to carry one concealed.