Could You Be Charged With Violating Nevada’s Gun Laws?

In the State of Nevada, a number of laws regulate the right to own a firearm. If you are charged with a firearms violation in or near the Las Vegas area, you could conceivably be convicted and sentenced to jail or prison. You’ll need to call a Las Vegas gun crimes attorney at once.

To carry a concealed weapon in Nevada, you must obtain a permit, and you must submit to a background check before you may purchase a firearm. Nevertheless, a firearms violation may occur in this state in the following circumstances:

  1. The possession of a firearm by anyone who is a convicted felon is a Category B felony in Nevada and may be penalized upon conviction with a prison sentence and a costly fine.
  2. Carrying a concealed weapon if you do not have a permit is a Category C felony in Nevada and may also be penalized upon conviction with a costly fine and a prison sentence.
  3. If you face another charge, such as robbery or assault, and you carried a firearm while committing that crime, you will face considerably harsher penalties for a conviction.

If you are charged with a gun crime in any of these circumstances in the Las Vegas area or anywhere across Southern Nevada, you must obtain – as quickly as possible – the sound legal advice and effective defense representation that a Las Vegas gun crimes lawyer will provide.

What Else Should You Know About Gun Crimes in Nevada?

The gun laws in Nevada, like gun laws in every state, are quite extensive. Brandishing a firearm in a threatening manner, for example, is a misdemeanor punishable upon conviction with up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.

Aiming a firearm at someone is a gross misdemeanor punishable upon conviction with up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $2,000. Assaulting another person with a firearm is a Category B felony in Nevada, punishable upon conviction with a prison sentence and a fine of up to $5,000.

How Will a Defense Attorney Handle Your Firearms Case?

If you are charged with a firearms violation in this state, your Las Vegas criminal defense attorney will scrutinize the prosecution’s case against you, examine the evidence, and develop an aggressive, effective defense strategy on your behalf.

Under this state’s laws, a Nevada criminal court may not sentence you to probation or suspend your sentence if you are convicted of using a firearm while you are committing a murder, kidnapping, sexual assault, or robbery. If you’re convicted, you will be sentenced to prison.

However, if you are convicted of using or possessing a firearm in the commission of some other crime, the court will be allowed to consider probation rather than a jail or prison term, and your defense lawyer will argue for the lightest possible sentence.

Will You Be Eligible for a Plea Deal?

Your attorney may initially seek to have the charge dropped by the prosecutor or to have the case dismissed by the court. In some cases, and particularly if the evidence of your guilt is persuasive, your attorney may be allowed to negotiate a plea deal that reduces the charge and the penalties.

Almost all firearms cases in Nevada are settled with plea deals. Plea bargain negotiations may sometimes involve “submittals” or “stayed adjudications” that lead to a dismissal of charges. In other firearms cases, felony charges may be reduced to lesser felony or misdemeanor charges.

Defendants benefit from plea deals because they serve lighter sentences for reduced charges. For prosecutors, plea deals streamline the process and reduce the workload. Justice is served in a timelier manner, allowing both victims and defendants to move on more quickly with their lives.

If you are guilty as charged of a firearms violation and you are offered a plea deal, discuss the details of the offer with your Las Vegas gun crimes attorney. The final choice to accept or reject a plea bargain will be yours, but you should consider carefully your attorney’s recommendation.

What if You Committed No Crime?

However, if you’re not guilty of the charge, and if that charge is not dismissed or dropped, you may insist on your right to a trial by jury. At a trial, your defense attorney will tell the jury what actually happened and explain why the jurors should acquit you of the firearms charge.

The basic defense against an unlawful firearms possession charge is that the defendant was not actually in possession of the weapon. In these cases, the prosecutor must link or tie a defendant to the firearm, and if no direct tie or link can be established, the state will fail to prove its case.

In other cases, your Las Vegas gun crimes lawyer may defend you by contending that the prosecution’s evidence against you is insufficient for a conviction or that police officers violated your rights during an investigation, search, arrest, or interrogation.

You could be accused of a gun crime in Nevada due to a misunderstanding, a misidentification, or even because a claim about you has been fabricated. If you are charged with a firearms crime, how can you choose an attorney who will uncover the truth and win the justice you need?

Let Goodwin Law Group Handle Your Defense

If you are charged with a firearms violation, defense attorney Charles Goodwin will develop an appropriate and effective legal strategy for your defense. If the case against you is conclusive and a conviction is unavoidable, he will argue on your behalf for reduced or alternative sentencing.

Goodwin Law Group has an impressive record of success in firearms cases, winning acquittals for our clients or having the charge reduced or dismissed. We defend those accused of firearms violations in Las Vegas and across Southern Nevada.

If you are charged with a violation of Nevada’s firearms laws, currently or in the future, contact Goodwin Law Group at once by calling 702-819-8242 for a no-obligation, no-cost evaluation of your case, and let attorney Charles Goodwin provide the defense representation you need.