Citation(s) from the GunPolicy.org literature library
Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. 2024 ‘Universal Background Checks in Nevada.’ Background Checks. San Francisco, CA: Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. 22 December
Relevant contents
Private Sales in Nevada
Private firearms transfers (i.e., transfers by non-firearms dealers) are not subject to a mandatory background check requirement in Nevada, although federal and state purchaser prohibitions still apply…
Nevada provides that a private person who wishes to transfer a firearm may request that the Central Repository for Nevada Records of Criminal History (Central Repository) perform a background check on the transferee.
Upon receiving such a request (along with the purchaser's identifying information), the Central Repository must, within five business days of receiving the request:
- Perform a background check on the prospective transferee; and
- Notify the requestor whether the transferee is prohibited by federal or state law from acquiring a firearm.
If the requestor does not receive notification from the Central Repository regarding the request within five business days, he or she may presume that the person who wishes to acquire the firearm is not a prohibited purchaser. The Central Repository may charge a reasonable fee for performing a background check and notifying a person of the results of the background check.
Failure of a person to request that the Central Repository perform a background check before transferring a firearm to another person does not give rise to any civil cause of action.
In addition, any person who sells or barters a handgun to a child under age 18, "with reckless disregard of whether the child is under the age of 18 years, or with knowledge or reason to know that the child is under the age of 18 years," is criminally liable for a felony.
Licensed firearms dealers or collectors who purchase secondhand firearms or related items at certain shows or exhibits must comply with state recordkeeping, transaction reporting, and retention of marked or individually identified property requirements that apply to all dealers in secondhand materials.
In Nevada, a person may not sell or otherwise dispose of any firearm or ammunition to another person if the seller or transferor has "actual knowledge" that the person:
- Is under indictment for, or has been convicted of, a felony in Nevada, any other state, or under federal law;
- Is a fugitive from justice;
- Has been adjudicated as mentally ill or has been committed to any mental health facility; or
- Is illegally or unlawfully in the United States…
[Editor's note: The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence regularly updates its webpages with new data as US gun regulation evolves state by state. For the most up-to-date information on US gun laws, please refer to the Giffords URL below]