Miscellaneous Gun Laws in Nevada

Unless you're hunting or acting in self-defense, where and how you may legally use your gun in Nevada is quite limited. In this article, our Las Vegas gun crime lawyers discuss the following types of illegal firearm uses in Clark County, Nevada:

• Using guns to threaten



• Using guns while under the influence of drugs or alcohol



• Using guns near children



• Using guns in or around buildings or vehicles



• Stolen guns



• Spring guns

But even if you're charged with breaking one of these Nevada firearms laws, our Las Vegas gun crime lawyers may be able to dismiss or lessen your charges-call us at (702) 380-4895 for help right away.

For information about carrying concealed weapons laws in Nevada and how to obtain a license, click here on our carrying concealed weapons laws in Nevada page.

Firearms can't threaten

A good rule of thumb for handing a firearm in Nevada is to never do anything with it that could potentially make another person feel they're about to be hurt by it. Merely drawing a firearm (or any deadly weapon) in a threatening manner is a misdemeanor, carrying six months in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.¹ And aiming a firearm at a person or firing a gun into a place where people might be hurt is a gross misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in prison and/or a $2,000 fine.²

Firearms can't be under the influence

In the same way you can't drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol, you can't physically possess a gun when you're drunk or high in Nevada, either. Even if you're not actually incapacitated, it's automatically illegal to handle a firearm with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.10 or more. Physically possessing a firearm under the influence is a misdemeanor, carrying up to six months in jail and/or a $1,000 fine, but the firearm may not be seized by law enforcement unless it was brandished or used in a way that endangered others.³

Firearms can't be near students and children

It is a gross misdemeanor to possess gun on the property of the Nevada System of Higher Education or any public school, private school, or child-care facility in Nevada. Penalties include up to a year in jail and/or a $2,000 fine.⁴

Firearms can't involve buildings and vehicles

Whether you're shooting a gun to or from a building or a vehicle in Nevada, it's considered a crime, even if no one gets hurt:

The penalties for maliciously firing a gun into a building or car depend on whether the structure or car has been abandoned. If so, it's just a misdemeanor, punishable by six months in prison and/or a $1,000 fine. If they're not abandoned, it's a felony carrying one to six years and/or $5,000 in fines.⁵ However, if no one was hurt and the shot was fired into a street, theater, hotel, store, bar, or other public resort, then it may be possible to reduce charges to a misdemeanor, with is only up to six months in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.⁶

Meanwhile, the penalties for maliciously firing a gun within or from a building or a car depend on the location of the incident. If it was an area where the discharge of weapons is otherwise allowed, it's only a misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail and/or a $1,000 fine. But if it's in an area that prohibits gunfire, then it's a felony punishable by two to fifteen years and/or $5,000 in fines.⁷

Firearms can't be stolen

Intentionally stealing another person's firearm, called "grand larceny of a firearm," is a felony carrying one to ten years and a fine up to $10,000, plus possible restitution.⁸

Firearms can't be used for spring guns

Setting up a spring gun is considered criminal in Nevada whether or not someone gets hurt. If no injury occurs, you face a gross misdemeanor, carrying one year in jail and/or a $2,000 fine. If someone does get hurt, you may be charged with a felony carrying one to six years and/or a $5,000 fine. If someone dies but it doesn't meet the elements of murder in Nevada, penalties include one to ten years in prison and maybe a $10,000 fine.⁹

Have you been arrested for a crime in Nevada?

Go to our Nevada firearm crime laws homepage.

¹NRS 202.320

²NRS 202.290

³NRS 202.257

⁴NRS 202.265

⁵NRS 202.285

⁶NRS 202.280

⁷NRS 202.287

⁸NRS 205.226

⁹NRS 202.255

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