When you buy a gun in Nevada from a licensed dealer, they must provide a locking device for the trigger. This device must preclude the gun from firing, and it can be disabled only by either:
- a key,
- a combination,
- biometric data (such as your fingerprint), or
- similar means.
However, Nevada gun law does not require you to actually use the locking device or to store your guns in a safe.1
Gun Storage and Child Endangerment
Even though it is lawful in Nevada to store a gun without a safe or locking device, it is a misdemeanor to negligently keep a gun in a place where you know (or have reason to know) there is a substantial risk that a child under 18 years old can access it. The penalties for doing so are:
- Up to 6 months in jail and/or
- Up to $1,000 in fines.2
Depending on the case, prosecutors can also charge you with the more serious offense of child endangerment. The following chart outlines the punishments:3
| Child Endangerment Offense | Nevada Penalties |
| If the child suffered substantial bodily harm or mental harm | Category B felony: 2 to 20 years in Nevada State Prison |
| If the child suffered no substantial harm AND the endangerment was intentional | Category B felony: 1 to 6 years in prison, though repeat offenders face 2 to 15 years in prison |
| If the child suffered no substantial harm AND you allowed the endangerment to occur | Gross misdemeanor (for first-time offenders): $2,000 in fines and/or 364 days in jail Category C felony (for repeat offenders): 1 to 5 years in prison and up to $10,000 |
Just recently Reno Police arrested a suspect for child endangerment for allegedly having an unsecured gun near a minor.4
When it comes to gun storage, I advise people to take every reasonable step to keep firearms out of the reach of children. The best way to achieve this is to store them in a safe that the children cannot access.
It is a Nevada misdemeanor to leave guns where kids can access them.
Felons Living With Gun Owners
If you have been convicted of a felony or a domestic violence misdemeanor, you are prohibited from possessing firearms in Nevada. Therefore, the safest bet is not to live with someone who has a gun in the house, even in a safe.
“Possession” means to have actual or constructive control over the gun. Therefore, you arguably have control over any guns in the residence you occupy, even if they technically belong to a roommate or a housemate.
You can try to argue that you cannot possibly have possession of any firearms stored in a safe for which you do not know the combination or have the key. However, there is no good way to prove you do not know the combination or have access to the key.
Possessing a firearm following a felony or domestic violence conviction is a category B felony in Nevada. Penalties include:
- 1 to 6 years in prison and
- Up to $5,000 in fines.5
Since the punishment is so severe, I strongly advise prohibited persons not to live with gun owners.
Licensed Nevada gun sellers must provide buyers a locking device for the trigger.
Storing Guns While Driving
There is no Nevada law requiring you to lock up your guns before you drive with them.
Note that if you carry a handgun in a car, it must remain visible unless you have a current and valid CCW permit. However, you do not need a CCW permit if you keep the gun off your body, such as in the glove box, trunk, or center console.6
Also note that you may not drive with loaded rifles or shotguns, whether they are locked up or not. The magazine may be loaded, but a cartridge cannot be in the firing chamber.7
Finally, note that you may not drive on school property with guns in your vehicle, even if they are locked in a case. Violating this law is a gross misdemeanor in Nevada, carrying:
- Up to $2,000 in fines and/or
- Up to 364 days in jail.8
Learn more about Nevada car carry.
Guns do not need to be stored in order to drive with them in Nevada.
Storing Guns While Drinking
Locking up your guns at home before you consume alcohol or drugs is a good idea, but it is not required in Nevada. NRS 202.257 – which prohibits gun possession while intoxicated – does not apply when you are in your own residence.
Possessing a gun while under the influence of alcohol or drugs (outside of your residence) is a Nevada misdemeanor carrying:
- Up to 6 months in jail and/or
- Up to $1,000 in fines.9
It is always recommended to keep firearms stored in a safe.
Federal Law
Federal law requires federal firearm licensees (FFLs) to provide compatible storage/safety devices with handgun sales. Nevada’s law (NRS 202.3623) is broader because it applies to all firearms, not just handguns.10
Additional Reading
For more in-depth information, refer to these scholarly articles:
- Law Enforcement and Gun Retailers as Partners for Safely Storing Guns to Prevent Suicide: A Study in 8 Mountain West States – American Journal of Public Health.
- Firearm Access and Suicide: Lethal Means Counseling and Safe Storage Education in a Comprehensive Prevention Strategy – American Journal of Public Health.
- Child Access Prevention Laws and Firearm Storage: Results From a National Survey – American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
- Parental attitudes, beliefs, and practices related to firearm storage: a qualitative study – Injury Epidemiology.
- Armed and Dangerous: Tort Liability for the Negligent Storage of Firearms – Connecticut Law Review.
Legal References
- Safe Storage in Nevada, Giffords Law Center. SB 294 (2023). NRS 202.3623 – Provision of locking device with sale or transfer of firearm; notice concerning unlawful storage of firearm; penalty; exception.
1. Every licensed dealer shall:
(a) Provide with each firearm sold or otherwise transferred a locking device capable of securing the firearm; and
(b) Post in a conspicuous location on its premises and at any other location at which the dealer sells a firearm a sign which is not less than 8.5 inches wide by 11 inches high and which contains, in at least 24-point boldface type, the following:
NOTICE
Negligent storage of a firearm may result in imprisonment or fine.
2. A licensed dealer who violates any provision of subsection 1 is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine of not more than $500.
3. The provisions of this section do not apply to an antique firearm or a firearm that has been determined to be a curio or relic pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Chapter 44.
4. As used in this section:
(a) “Licensed dealer” has the meaning ascribed to it in NRS 202.2546.
(b) “Locking device” means a device which prohibits the operation or discharge of a firearm and which can only be disabled with the use of a key, a combination, biometric data or other similar means.
- NRS 202.300. AB-291 (2019). See also Thomas v. Bokelman (1970); Smith v. Smith-Peterson Co. (1935) . Safe Storage in Nevada, Giffords Law Center. SB 294 (2023).
- NRS 200.508.
- City of Reno Morning Media Update (June 23, 2025).
- NRS 202.360.
- NRS 202.350.
- NRS 503.165.
- NRS 202.265.
- NRS 202.257.
- 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(z), 923.
