Admittedly stupid question

I'm almost certain I know the answer to this, but I promised that I would ask since I'm not 100% certain.

I have a friend who inherited some guns from her father. She lives in Nevada and would like to sell them at a local gun show. She wants to know if it's legal for her to transport them unloaded to the show.

You guys know most everything - can you confirm that this isn't a problem?

 

Nevada has nothing on the books about transporting unloaded firearms, thereby making it legal by default. As far as transport goes, NRS 503.165 makes it illegal to transport a loaded long gun while hunting.

The only other thing your friend might worry about is getting background checks on buyers. NRS 202.254 provides information on how this can be done. Here is a link to the Central Repository for Nevada Records of Criminal History, and a link for the background application. While the background check is not required, if your friend sells a firearm to a prohibited person, charges could be brought against her.

 

Thanks!

 

Nothing stupid about the question whatsoever! It is a good thing to be well informed. The short answer: She should be perfectly fine transporting unloaded firearms in a vehicle, even more so if they were to be locked in a case, with no ammunition in the vehicle. If I were her, I would look into the laws regarding private party sales, whether or not she needs to have them registered to herself after inheriting them, and what kind of paperwork (if any) or other issues she might be liable for in re: private party sales at a gun show or otherwise. I've contacted the local police department/sheriff about this sort of thing before, just to make sure I interpreted things correctly, and they've proven to be a great source of information, at least in my interactions with them. Some states are really finicky, some really don't care.

 

I don't know Nevada, but in Arizona, producing a current concealed carry permit is valid as a background check. As a private seller out here, you are not required to do a back ground check. Only if you have a FFL are you required to run one, but again, not sure if that is the same in Nevada or not.

 

I'd post the link to the above article but I'm not quite where I need to be post count wise to post links. It is to the NRA's website which, ignoring the political aspect, also provides useful links regarding fire arm laws by states.

She should be safe transporting it if she follows the instructions above. The website also has specific details for states with PITA fire arms laws. The legality of selling fire arms and the requirements that she'd have to follow is something that I couldn't comment on. My advise would be for her to place a call with the law enforcement from that area to seek education on what is acceptable for both transportation and sales.

I have personally found it highly useful to call the state police of the state that I will be visiting or traveling through to seek clarification of their gun laws. If you call their headquarters offices, you can usually speak directly with a state trooper/police officer from that state. I've also made notes of the officer/trooper's name, title, and date of contact which I would imagine would help serve as a defense against prosecution if you can show a good-faith effort to comply with the state's laws.