Nevada Gun Laws

Nevada has NOT adopted constitutional (permitless) concealed carry. Concealed carry of a handgun by a non-permit holder remains a category C felony under NRS 202.350. Open carry without a permit is the only lawful permitless method to carry on the person.

"Except as otherwise provided in this section and NRS 202.3653 to 202.369, inclusive, a person within this State shall not... Carry concealed upon his or her person any... Pistol, revolver or other firearm."

NRS 202.350 (concealed permit still required) statute

Carrying a concealed pistol, revolver or other firearm upon the person without a permit is a category C felony. The statute creates the predicate offense to which the NRS 202.3653-202.369 permit scheme is the exception.

"a person within this State shall not... Carry concealed upon his or her person any... Pistol, revolver or other firearm, other dangerous or deadly weapon or pneumatic gun."

NRS 202.350(1)(d)(3) statute

Nevada is shall-issue: a county sheriff shall issue a Concealed Firearm Permit (CFP) to any applicant who is at least 21 (or at least 18 if a member of, or honorably discharged from, the U.S. Armed Forces, a reserve component, or the National Guard), is not federally prohibited, and demonstrates competence with handguns via an approved firearm-safety course. Application fee is up to $60 plus the FBI/Central Repository fee.

"the sheriff shall issue a permit to any person who is qualified to possess a handgun under state and federal law, who submits an application in accordance with the provisions of this section and who: (a) Is: (1) Twenty-one years of age or older."

NRS 202.3657 statute

A Nevada Concealed Firearm Permit expires five years after the date of issuance unless suspended or revoked. Renewal requires a continued-competence course.

"Unless suspended or revoked by the sheriff who issued the permit, a permit expires 5 years after the date on which it is issued."

NRS 202.366(4) statute

Nevada statute prohibits only CONCEALED carry of a firearm without a permit; openly carrying a handgun is not restricted by Chapter 202. Any adult not otherwise prohibited from possessing a firearm under state or federal law may carry openly in places where firearms are not specifically banned.

"Concealed weapon means a weapon described in this section that is carried upon a person in such a manner as not to be discernible by ordinary observation."

NRS 202.350 (no open-carry prohibition) statute

A handgun stored in a glove box, center console, or anywhere else concealed inside a passenger compartment is a concealed firearm under NRS 202.350(8)(a) (carried in a manner not discernible by ordinary observation). Carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle without a Nevada CFP or recognized out-of-state permit is a category C felony. A loaded handgun in plain sight (e.g., visibly on the seat or in an exposed holster) is open carry and is lawful without a permit.

"Concealed weapon means a weapon described in this section that is carried upon a person in such a manner as not to be discernible by ordinary observation."

NRS 202.350(1)(d)(3) (concealed-without-permit) statute

It is unlawful to carry a loaded rifle or shotgun in or on any vehicle on or along a public highway or other way open to the public. A rifle or shotgun is 'loaded' when there is an unexpended cartridge or shell in the firing chamber; cartridges in the magazine alone do not make it 'loaded' for this section. This is a wildlife-code prohibition; handguns are not covered by NRS 503.165.

"It is unlawful to carry a loaded rifle or loaded shotgun in or on any vehicle which is standing on or along, or is being driven on or along, any public highway or any other way open to the public."

NRS 503.165 statute

Effective July 1, 2025, the Nevada Department of Public Safety recognizes concealed-firearm permits from 28 states: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho (Enhanced Permit only), Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi (Enhanced Permit only), Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota (Class 1 only), Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota (Enhanced Permit only), Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Out-of-state residents who become Nevada residents must obtain a Nevada CFP within 60 days or lose the right to carry concealed on the out-of-state permit.

"Pursuant to Nevada Revised Statute (NRS) 202.3689, the state of Nevada will recognize concealed weapons permits from the following states."

NRS 202.3688 / NRS 202.3689 (DPS recognition list, effective July 1, 2025) ag

A person holding a concealed-firearm permit from a state on the DPS recognition list may carry a concealed firearm in Nevada subject to all Nevada CFP rules. The recognition expires 60 days after the holder becomes a Nevada resident if a Nevada CFP has not been issued.

"a person who possesses a permit to carry a concealed firearm that was issued by a state included in the list prepared pursuant to NRS 202.3689 may carry a concealed firearm in this State in accordance with the requirements set forth in NRS 202.3653 to 202.369, inclusive."

NRS 202.3688 statute

Nevada codifies a castle doctrine: justifiable homicide includes the killing of a person who manifestly intends and endeavors to enter an occupied habitation or occupied motor vehicle in a violent, riotous, tumultuous or surreptitious manner for the purpose of assaulting or offering personal violence to a person therein. NRS 200.130 creates a rebuttable presumption of reasonable fear when the deceased was unlawfully and forcibly entering an occupied habitation or occupied motor vehicle.

"Justifiable homicide is the killing of a human being in necessary self-defense, or in defense of an occupied habitation, an occupied motor vehicle or a person, against one who manifestly intends or endeavors to commit a crime of violence."

NRS 200.120 statute

Bare fear is insufficient to justify a killing; the circumstances must be sufficient to excite the fears of a reasonable person, and the defendant must have acted under those fears rather than in revenge. Subsection 2 creates a rebuttable presumption that the defendant had a reasonable fear of imminent death or great bodily injury when the person killed was in the process of unlawfully and forcibly entering, or had unlawfully and forcibly entered, an occupied habitation or occupied motor vehicle, and the defendant knew or had reason to believe the entry was unlawful and forcible. This is the statutory companion to the NRS 200.120 castle doctrine.

"For the purposes of NRS 200.120, a defendant charged with first or second degree murder, manslaughter or attempted murder or manslaughter is presumed to have had a reasonable fear of imminent death or great bodily injury to himself or herself or another person lawfully in the defendant's residence or occupied motor vehicle if the defendant knew or had reason to believe that the person against whom the use of force was used: (a) Was entering unlawfully and by force."

NRS 200.130 statute

Nevada is a stand-your-ground state. A person has no duty to retreat before using deadly force in self-defense, defense of an occupied habitation, defense of an occupied motor vehicle, or defense of a person, provided the defender is not the original aggressor, has a right to be at the location, and is not actively engaged in furtherance of criminal activity at the time deadly force is used.

"A person is not required to retreat before using deadly force as provided in subsection 1 if the person: (a) Is not the original aggressor; (b) Has a right to be present at the location where deadly force is used; and (c) Is not actively engaged in conduct in furtherance of criminal activity."

NRS 200.120(2) statute

Nevada imposes no general duty to proactively inform a peace officer that you are armed. However, a Concealed Firearm Permit holder must carry the permit together with proper identification whenever in actual possession of a concealed firearm, and must present both if requested by a peace officer. The civil penalty for failure to carry the permit is $25.

"Each permittee shall carry the permit, or a duplicate issued pursuant to the provisions of NRS 202.367, together with proper identification whenever the permittee is in actual possession of a concealed firearm. Both the permit and proper identification must be presented if requested by a peace officer."

NRS 202.3667 statute

A Concealed Firearm Permit holder must notify the issuing sheriff of any change of address within 30 days and may obtain a duplicate permit from the sheriff if the original permit is lost, destroyed, or damaged. The duplicate-permit procedure is the basis for the NRS 202.3667 requirement that the permittee carry either the permit or a duplicate together with proper identification whenever in actual possession of a concealed firearm.

"If a permit is lost, destroyed or damaged, the permittee shall notify the sheriff who issued the permit and shall obtain a duplicate permit from the sheriff."

NRS 202.367 statute

Possessing a firearm on the property of any private or public K-12 school, child care facility, or any Nevada System of Higher Education campus, or in any vehicle of such a school or facility, is a gross misdemeanor. Limited exceptions exist for peace officers, school security guards, and persons with written permission from the school principal, NSHE branch president, or facility designee.

"a person shall not carry or possess while on the property of the Nevada System of Higher Education, a private or public school or child care facility, or while in a vehicle of a private or public school or child care facility... A pistol, revolver or other firearm."

NRS 202.265 statute

A Concealed Firearm Permit holder may generally carry a concealed firearm into public buildings. However, a permittee may NOT carry concealed in a public building located on the property of a public airport, on the property of a public school, child care facility, or Nevada System of Higher Education, or in any public building that posts a 'no firearms' sign at each public entrance OR has a metal detector at each public entrance. Violation is a misdemeanor.

"A permittee shall not carry a concealed firearm while the permittee is on the premises of: (a) A public building that is located on the property of a public school or a child care facility or the property of the Nevada System of Higher Education... (b) A public building that has a metal detector at each public entrance or a sign posted at each public entrance indicating that no firearms are allowed in the building."

NRS 202.3673 statute

Possessing a firearm while having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more, or while under the influence of a controlled substance to a degree that renders one incapable of safely exercising actual physical control of a firearm, is a misdemeanor. The prohibition does not apply to a person within his or her own residence holding a firearm solely for self-defense.

"It is unlawful for a person who: (a) Has a concentration of alcohol of 0.08 or more in his or her blood or breath; or (b) Is under the influence of any controlled substance... to have in his or her actual physical possession any firearm."

NRS 202.257 statute

Nevada requires a background check for almost all private firearm transfers between unlicensed persons. The seller and buyer must appear jointly at a licensed firearms dealer, who runs the check through the same channel as a sale from inventory. Enacted by SB 143 (2019); effective January 2, 2020.

"an unlicensed person shall not sell or transfer a firearm to another unlicensed person unless a licensed dealer first conducts a background check on the buyer or transferee in compliance with this section."

NRS 202.2547 statute

The universal-background-check requirement of NRS 202.2547 does not apply to: (a) sales/transfers involving law enforcement, peace officers, security guards, military, or federal officials in the course of duty; (b) antique firearms; (c) transfers between immediate family members (spouses, domestic partners, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews, including step-relations); (d) transfer by operation of law upon the owner's death; (e) emergency-defense temporary transfers; and (f) certain temporary transfers at shooting ranges, organized competitions, performances, or while hunting/trapping or in the transferor's presence.

"The provisions of NRS 202.2547 do not apply to... The sale or transfer of a firearm between immediate family members, which for the purposes of this section means spouses and domestic partners and any of the following relations, whether by whole or half blood, adoption, or step-relation: parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews."

NRS 202.2548 statute

Federal law requires that handguns be purchased from a federally licensed dealer only by buyers 21 or older, while long guns may be purchased from an FFL at 18. Nevada state law separately makes it a category B felony to sell or barter a handgun (pistol, revolver, or any firearm capable of being concealed on the person) to a person under 18 (NRS 202.310). Nevada imposes no state purchase-age above the federal minimums.

"A licensee may not sell a handgun to anyone under the age of 21. A licensee may not sell a long gun to anyone under the age of 18."

18 U.S.C. § 922(b)(1) (federal) / NRS 202.310 (state minor sale) atf

Nevada does not maintain a state firearm registry. The preemption statute (NRS 244.364) further requires boards of county commissioners to destroy any ownership records of privately owned firearms previously collected by the county or any county agency for purposes of an inconsistent ordinance.

"A board of county commissioners shall cause to be destroyed any ownership records of firearms owned by private persons which are kept or maintained by the county or any county agency, board or commission... for the purposes of compliance with any ordinance or regulation that is inconsistent with this section."

NRS 244.364(6) (county-level destruction of records) statute

Nevada has a red-flag (extreme risk protection order) law. A law enforcement officer with probable cause, or a family or household member, may file a verified application for an emergency or extended Order for Protection Against High-Risk Behavior. An emergency order can be issued ex parte; an extended order requires a hearing. Persons subject to such an order are listed as ineligible for a concealed-firearm permit under NRS 202.3657(4)(h). Enacted by AB 291 (2019); these sections took effect January 1, 2020.

"A law enforcement officer who has probable cause to believe that a person poses an imminent risk of causing a self-inflicted injury or a personal injury to another person by possessing, controlling, purchasing or otherwise acquiring any firearm may file a verified application for an order for protection against high-risk behavior."

NRS 33.500 to 33.670 (Orders for Protection Against High-Risk Behavior) statute

Nevada has no state assault-weapon ban. The state preemption statute reserves all regulation of firearms, firearm accessories, and ammunition to the Legislature, and any inconsistent county ordinance is null and void.

"The regulation of the transfer, sale, purchase, possession, carrying, ownership, transportation, storage, registration and licensing of firearms, firearm accessories and ammunition in this State and the ability to define such terms is within the exclusive domain of the Legislature, and any other law, regulation, rule or ordinance to the contrary is null and void."

NRS 244.364 (no state AWB; preempts local) statute

Nevada has no statutory magazine-capacity limit. The state preemption statute bars counties from imposing one.

"Any ordinance or regulation which is inconsistent with this section or which is designed to restrict or prohibit the sale, purchase, transfer, manufacture or display of firearms, firearm accessories or ammunition that is otherwise lawful under the laws of this State is null and void."

NRS 244.364 (no capacity limit; preempts local) statute

Suppressors, short-barreled rifles (SBRs), short-barreled shotguns (SBSs), and machine guns are regulated under the federal National Firearms Act and require ATF registration.

"The National Firearms Act (NFA) imposes a statutory excise tax on the manufacture and transfer of certain firearms and mandates the registration of those firearms."

26 U.S.C. ch. 53 (National Firearms Act) / ATF atf

Nevada prohibits possession of machine guns and silencers, but the prohibition does not apply to any person who is licensed, authorized, or permitted to possess or use a machine gun or silencer under federal law (the NFA). Lawful NFA-registered ownership is therefore legal in Nevada.

"The provisions of paragraph (b) of subsection 1 do not apply to any person who is licensed, authorized or permitted to possess or use a machine gun or silencer pursuant to federal law."

NRS 202.350(6) (silencer / machine gun) statute

Possession of a short-barreled rifle (barrel less than 16 inches or overall length less than 26 inches) or short-barreled shotgun (barrel less than 18 inches or overall length less than 26 inches) is a category D felony unless the firearm is registered with the U.S. Department of the Treasury (i.e., NFA-registered) or the possessor is a federally licensed importer, manufacturer, collector or dealer, or the firearm is a curio/relic or collector's item.

"This section does not prohibit... The possession of any short-barreled rifle or short-barreled shotgun by a person who is licensed as a firearms importer, manufacturer, collector or dealer by the United States Department of the Treasury, or by a person to whom such a rifle or shotgun is registered with the United States Department of the Treasury."

NRS 202.275 statute

Nevada prohibits the import, sale, manufacture, transfer, receipt, or possession of any device (such as a bump stock or binary trigger), part, or modified semiautomatic firearm that eliminates the need for a separate trigger movement per shot AND either materially increases the rate of fire or approximates the action of a machine gun. Violation is a category D felony. This state-level ban remains in force regardless of the federal status of bump stocks. Enacted by AB 291 (2019).

"a person shall not import, sell, manufacture, transfer, receive or possess: (a) Any manual, power-driven or electronic device that is designed such that when the device is attached to a semiautomatic firearm, the device eliminates the need for the operator of a semiautomatic firearm to make a separate movement for each individual function of the trigger and: (1) Materially increases the rate of fire."

NRS 202.274 statute

Nevada has strong firearm preemption. The Legislature reserves exclusive authority to regulate the transfer, sale, purchase, possession, carrying, ownership, transportation, storage, registration, and licensing of firearms, firearm accessories, and ammunition. Counties retain only narrow authority to prohibit the unsafe discharge of firearms. A person adversely affected by an inconsistent county ordinance enacted after October 1, 2015 may sue for declaratory and injunctive relief, damages, and attorney's fees, with liquidated damages up to three times actual damages.

"Except as otherwise provided by specific statute, the Legislature reserves for itself such rights and powers as are necessary to regulate the transfer, sale, purchase, possession, carrying, ownership, transportation, storage, registration and licensing of firearms, firearm accessories and ammunition in Nevada and to define such terms. No county may infringe upon those rights and powers."

NRS 244.364 statute

Nevada bans manufacturing, assembling, possessing, selling, transferring, purchasing, transporting, or receiving any firearm not imprinted with a manufacturer-issued serial number. Limited exceptions exist for permanently inoperable firearms, antiques, pre-1969 firearms, curios/relics, law enforcement agencies, and federally licensed importers/manufacturers. First offense is a gross misdemeanor; subsequent offenses are a category D felony. Enacted by AB 286 (2021); possession provisions took effect January 1, 2022.

"A person shall not manufacture or cause to be manufactured or assemble or cause to be assembled a firearm that is not imprinted with a serial number issued by a firearms importer or manufacturer in accordance with federal law."

NRS 202.3635 / NRS 202.364 (ghost-gun ban) statute

The Nevada Supreme Court, in a 7-0 decision dated April 18, 2024, reversed a district court injunction and upheld AB 286 (NRS 202.253(9), 202.3625, 202.363, 202.3635 and 202.364) against a void-for-vagueness challenge, holding that the terms 'unfinished frame or receiver' have ordinary meanings providing sufficient notice. The ghost-gun statutes are therefore enforceable as written.

"Sisolak v. Polymer80, Inc., 140 Nev. Adv. Op. 30, 546 P.3d 819 (Apr. 18, 2024)."

Sisolak v. Polymer80, Inc., 140 Nev. Adv. Op. 30, 546 P.3d 819 (Apr. 18, 2024) court

Chapter 2 of the 2019 Statutes of Nevada (SB 143) enacted NRS 202.2547 to require a licensed dealer to conduct a background check before almost any private sale or transfer of a firearm between unlicensed persons. Signed February 15, 2019; effective January 2, 2020.

"AN ACT relating to firearms; repealing, revising and reenacting provisions relating to background checks for certain sales or transfers of firearms."

Chapter 2, Statutes of Nevada 2019 (SB 143) statute

Chapter 622 of the 2019 Statutes of Nevada (AB 291), informally known as the '1 October bill,' created Nevada's red-flag law (NRS 33.500-33.670, Orders for Protection Against High-Risk Behavior) and banned bump-stock-type devices and other rate-of-fire enhancers (NRS 202.274). The bump-stock provisions took effect on passage in 2019; the ERPO provisions took effect January 1, 2020.

"CHAPTER 622, AB 291"

Chapter 622, Statutes of Nevada 2019 (AB 291) statute

Chapter 496 of the 2021 Statutes of Nevada (AB 286) added NRS 202.3625, 202.363, 202.3635, and 202.364 to ban the manufacture, assembly, sale, transfer, or possession of unserialized 'ghost gun' firearms and unfinished frames/receivers. Approved June 7, 2021; possession provisions effective January 1, 2022.

"AN ACT relating to crimes; prohibiting a person from engaging in certain acts relating to unfinished frames or receivers under certain circumstances; prohibiting a person from engaging in certain acts relating to firearms which are not imprinted with a serial number under certain circumstances."

Chapter 496, Statutes of Nevada 2021 (AB 286) statute

Nevada prohibits the sale or transfer of an unfinished frame or receiver to a person who is not a federally licensed firearms importer, manufacturer, or dealer, with limited exceptions. Violation is a gross misdemeanor for a first offense and a category D felony for subsequent offenses. Part of the AB 286 (2021) ghost-gun ban; upheld in Sisolak v. Polymer80 (2024).

"a person shall not sell or transfer an unfinished frame or receiver to any person other than a firearms importer or manufacturer."

NRS 202.3625 statute

Nevada prohibits possessing, purchasing, transporting, or receiving an unfinished frame or receiver unless the possessor is a federally licensed firearms importer, manufacturer, or dealer, or the frame/receiver has been serialized in accordance with federal law. First offense is a gross misdemeanor; subsequent offenses are a category D felony. Part of the AB 286 (2021) ghost-gun ban; upheld in Sisolak v. Polymer80 (2024).

"a person shall not possess, purchase, transport or receive an unfinished frame or receiver."

NRS 202.363 statute

Definitions section for NRS 202.253 to 202.369, inclusive. Subsection 9 defines 'unfinished frame or receiver' as a blank, casting, or machined body intended to be turned into the frame or lower receiver of a firearm with additional machining and which has been formed or machined to a point that it is clearly identifiable as an unfinished component part of a firearm. The Nevada Supreme Court relied on this definition to reject the void-for-vagueness challenge in Sisolak v. Polymer80 (2024).

"Unfinished frame or receiver means a blank, a casting or a machined body that is intended to be turned into the frame or lower receiver of a firearm with additional machining and which has been formed or machined to the point at which most of the major machining operations have been completed to turn the blank, casting or machined body into a frame or lower receiver of a firearm."

NRS 202.253 statute

The Nevada Supreme Court reversed a district court injunction and held AB 286's ghost-gun statutes (including NRS 202.3635 and 202.364) constitutional against a void-for-vagueness challenge in a unanimous 7-0 opinion. The law remains enforceable as written.

Sisolak v. Polymer80, Inc., 140 Nev. Adv. Op. 30, 546 P.3d 819 (Nev. 2024)

Chapter 496 of the 2021 Statutes of Nevada (AB 286) added NRS 202.3625, 202.363, 202.3635, and 202.364, banning manufacture, assembly, sale, transfer, and possession of unserialized firearms and unfinished frames/receivers. Approved June 7, 2021; possession provisions effective January 1, 2022. Upheld 7-0 against a vagueness challenge in Sisolak v. Polymer80, 140 Nev. Adv. Op. 30 (April 18, 2024).

Chapter 496, Statutes of Nevada 2021 (AB 286)

Chapter 2 of the 2019 Statutes of Nevada (SB 143) enacted NRS 202.2547, requiring a licensed dealer to conduct a NICS background check before almost any private sale or transfer of a firearm between unlicensed persons. Exceptions for immediate family, antiques, operation-of-law transfers, and certain temporary transfers are listed in NRS 202.2548.

Chapter 2, Statutes of Nevada 2019 (SB 143)

Chapter 622 of the 2019 Statutes of Nevada (AB 291), the '1 October bill,' created Nevada's Orders for Protection Against High-Risk Behavior (NRS 33.500-33.670, the red-flag law) and banned bump stocks and other rate-of-fire enhancers (NRS 202.274). Bump-stock provisions took effect immediately on passage in 2019; the ERPO sections took effect January 1, 2020.

Chapter 622, Statutes of Nevada 2019 (AB 291)