Nevada earns a B- for its gun safety laws

In the six years since the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history, Nevada has significantly strengthened its gun safety laws, earning the state a B- score, according to an analysis on gun safety laws.

On Tuesday, Giffords Law Center released its annual Gun Law Scorecard, which ranks all 50 states and assigns them a point total and grade based on the strength of their gun laws. 

Nevada earned its B- after adopting a new law during the 2023 legislative session requiring gun dealers to include a gun lock when selling or transferring a firearm. Nevada’s national gun law strength rank in the report was 19th.

California was ranked first, and Wyoming ranked last.

In recent years, Nevada has enacted an extreme risk protection order law, trigger activator ban, and child access prevention law as part of a bill introduced by Assemblywoman Sandra Jauregui, a survivor of the Las Vegas Route 91 shooting.

The state also requires universal background checks, bans bump stocks, and enacted a ghost gun law, the report card notes. 

However, Nevada has room for major improvement in gun safety legislation, said Peter Ambler, the executive director of Giffords Law Center. 

“We know gun laws save lives, and more can and must be done in Nevada,” Ambler added.

The report arrives in the wake of a mass shooting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas earlier this month. That shooting resulted in the deaths of three educators, and the hospitalization of another. 

Ambler said the scorecard serves as an evaluation tool and roadmap for elected leaders, activists, and concerned citizens committed to reducing gun violence and enhancing public safety.

The comprehensive 50-state analysis found that states with stronger gun laws have lower gun death rates and save more lives. In 2023, a total of 21 states received an F score, and another 6 received a D+ or D- score. 

“I’m reflecting on the tremendous gains in the fight for gun safety we’ve witnessed this year as well as the incomprehensible losses. Communities like Monterey Park, Nashville, Louisville, and Lewiston have been torn apart by mass shootings. Every single day we see violence in our neighborhoods taking too many lives too soon,” Ambler said.