Can I conceal carry in Las Vegas casinos?
Whenever I get asked this question, I explain how there’s the law, and then there’s the reality.
It is not illegal to conceal carry guns in Nevada casinos. However, casinos are private property, and staff may ask you to leave the property if you have a gun.1
If you refuse to leave, you could then face misdemeanor charges for trespass (NRS 207.200). The penalties for trespassing include:
- Up to six (6) months in jail, and/or
- Up to $1,000 in fines.2
In sum, the concealed (or open) carry of guns in casinos is not a crime. Even signs that say “no guns allowed” carry no legal weight.
But as private institutions, casinos can order you to leave for having guns. Not leaving when asked to – or coming back after having been told to leave – is the crime.
Can casinos search me for guns?
This is a grey area.
Casino security are not metro police. Unlike government law enforcement, casino security are not bound by the Fourth Amendment’s “reasonable search and seizure” restrictions and “stop and frisk” laws.
Casinos often set up metal detectors outside special events such as concerts, sports matches, or carnivals. If you do not wish to be scanned, you can simply leave the event.
Some Las Vegas casinos are also experimenting with microwave radar technology. Gun sensors are set up near entrances, and then casino staff can turn you away if you show up on the radar.
Does Nevada require CCW permits for conceal carry?
This is an unqualified yes. You need current and valid concealed carry permits to conceal carry handguns and pneumatic guns. (Handguns have a barrel of less than 12 inches long.)3
Las Vegas casinos can ask you to leave if you carry weapons.
Does Nevada have CCW reciprocity?
Yes only if you have a current and valid CCW weapon permit from either:
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Florida
- Idaho Enhanced Permit
- Illinois
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi (Enhanced permits only)
- Montana
- Nebraska
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- North Dakota (Class 1 only)
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- South Dakota (Enhanced permits only)
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Virgina
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming4
When are handguns concealed?
The general rule is that handguns are concealed whenever they are not readily visible to others. In my experience, handguns are always considered concealed weapons when you carry them:
- Under a jacket,
- In a backpack, or
- In a pocket
Even openly carrying a gun on a belt hostler becomes concealed carry if a jacket covers it from view.5
Where can I not conceal carry in Nevada?
It is generally not permitted to conceal carry – or open carry – under state law and/or federal law in the following Nevada locations:
- Airports
- Schools
- Child care facilities
- Any school or property of the Nevada System of Higher Education
- Courthouses (such as the Regional Justice Center in Clark County)
- Government buildings
- Prisons and jails
In some cases, you may be able to carry with written permission from the owner or manager.6
It is a misdemeanor to carry concealed in a prohibited public building under NRS 202.3673. The punishment includes:
- Up to six (6) months in jail, and/or
- Up to $1,000 in fines7
Can I go to jail for carrying concealed without a permit?
Potentially. Concealed carry with no permit is a category C felony in Nevada, punishable by:
- One to five (1 – 5) years in Nevada State Prison, and
- Up to $10,000 in fines (at the judge’s discretion)8
If you simply forget to bring your CCW permit with you, you face just a $25 civil fine under NRS 202.3667.
Related articles
- Carrying guns with an illegal blood alcohol content (NRS 202.257)
- Carrying a concealed weapon in Las Vegas – 3 things to know
- Felons carrying firearms
- Gun background checks
- Open carry laws
Additional reading
For more in-depth information, refer to these scholarly articles:
- Concealed carry bans and the American college campus: a law, social sciences, and policy perspective – Contemporary Justice Review.
- New evidence on the impact of concealed carry weapon laws on crime – International Review of Law and Economics.
- The Decision to Carry: The Effect of Crime on Concealed-Carry Applications – Journal of Human Resources.
- Concealed Carry through Common Use: Extending Heller’s Constitutional Construction – George Washington Law Review.
- Defiance, Concealed Carry, and Race – Law and Contemporary Problems.
Legal References
- NRS 202.350; United States v. Bernal, (9th Cir. Nev. 1983) 719 F.2d 1475.
- NRS 207.200; Tsao v. Desert Palace, Inc., (9th Cir. Nev. 2012) 698 F.3d 1128.
- See note 1. NRS 202.253.
- Nevada Department of Public Safety website.
- See note 1.
- See NRS 202.265; NRS 202.3673; 18 USC 930; 49 CFR § 1540.111; 49 USC § 46505.
- NRS 202.3673.
- See note 1.
- NRS 202.3667.
- Nevada Senate Bill 452 (2021).
