Greetings from the Texas Citizens Defense League

[TCDL]

Hello everyone. Please allow me to introduce myself and our organization. I am the President of the Texas Citizens Defense League. TCDL is a large grass roots movement of Texans who believe Texas should join the 43 other states in the union that allow their citizens to openly carry handguns. We believe that Open Carry is the ultimate expression of our God-given, constitutional TKBA 2nd Amendment right. By no means do we oppose concealed carry, but we believe that law-abiding citizens should have a choice - that there is a time and place for both methods. We invite you to view our website at: http://www.txcdl.org and our forum at http://www.texasopencarry.com. We are allied with the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL), the Arizona Citizens Defense League (AZCDL), and 2nd Amendment Sisters. This is a rapidly growing and serious-minded political movement. We still have a long way to go and we would appreciate your support. Thank you very much.

[VegasGeorge]

Welcome TCDL!

I understand and appreciate your effort and interest in open carry. I'm very puzzled why I don't see open carry here in Nevada where it is legal. We have a lot of CCW permit holders, but I have yet to see anyone open carry, and I've lived here seven years. Odd.

Anyway, I look forward to reading your posts. Glad to have you here.

[TCDL]

Hi VegasGeorge. Thanks for the welcome. May I refer you to http://www.opencarry.org. There you will find lots of folks from Nevada (and all the other states) discussing issues and experiences related to Open Carry. They are a great group and I'm sure you'll find lots of interesting things there. Most recently there has been a lot of discussion about the possibity of Clark County lifting it's open carry ban. Very educational site!

[VegasGeorge]

TCDL - Thanks for the reply. What you said startled me a bit. My understanding is that open carry is not prohibited here in Clark County. In fact, I've read many posted accounts of opencarry.org members who say that they've had good experiences carrying openly in Clark County.

So, I went to opencarry.org to see what was up. There I found a post by member Sierra_Bravo that probably explains the confusion over this matter. Here is the relevant part of his post:

This could be misinterpreted, but if you read it carefully, I think you'll agree:

12.04.180 Concealed weapons prohibited without permit.

It is unlawful, within the unincorporated area of Clark County, for any person to carry upon his person a concealed weapon of any description, including a knife with a blade of three inches or more, a gun, pistol, revolver or other firearm, capable of being concealed, without first having received written permission therefor from the sheriff. (Ord. 242 § 18, 1965)

The law says "...unlawful...to carry upon his person a concealed weapon...". Stop there...that's what you're not allowed to do. The next part is what you're not allowed to do it with: "...knife with a blade of 3 inches or more, a gun, pistol, revolver or other firearm, capable of being concealed..." The fact that your weapon is merely capable of being concealed means they're trying to cover all weapons they might not otherwise have listed (read, shotgun you could hide in your pant leg) so long as that weapon COULD be concealed.

At first glance I misunderstood and read it to say that if it was capable of being concealed, it's prohibited just the same. But I was wrong.

[TCDL]

I used to live in Arizona and traveled to Las Vegas and Laughlin frequently. Arizona is a Gold Star Open Carry state. However, I was warned to be careful when passing through Bolder City and North Las Vegas particularly. So I contacted a friend of mine who is a tactical firearms instructor in Nevada.
This is what he wrote me: "Open carry is not allowed in "North Las Vegas" (a separate city) and in Boulder City in as much as the state pre-emption provided 'grandfathering' to those cities' firearms ordinances. However, according to the Attorney General's website, Open Carry is in fact legal and allowed in the state of Nevada. If you are staying in Las Vegas 24 hours or longer, Clark County requires you to obtain a 'blue card' (registration). This is not a hassle and can be obtained in just a few minutes from a cheerful clerk at any of the Metro Police stations."

This is what the NRA has to say about the issue:
"Currently, it's illegal to own or possess a handgun in Clark County, Nevada, unless it's registered with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
This means that if you have a Nevada Right-to-Carry permit from any other county outside of Clark County, your pistol must be registered in Clark County if you are there more than one day.
Even if you come to Clark County to participate in a pistol-shooting event or gun show that lasts more than one day, your pistol must be registered with the sheriff of Clark County.
The Nevada Revised Statutes (244.364) establishes a uniform state law for all firearms in the state of Nevada.
However, when the law was passed in 1989, Clark County was "grandfathered," which means that any and all local ordinances governing firearms before the law went into effect were allowed to stand.
State Senator John Lee (D-Clark County), is introducing legislation in the 2007 Session (BDR S-45) that will eliminate this "grandfather clause" from the State Firearms Preemption Law.
This will remove the patchwork of local gun laws and protect law-abiding Nevada gun owners from inadvertently becoming criminals."

Here is more info:
"Right-To-Carry Law Type: Shall Issue Nevada has an open carry law that permits a person to carry a handgun in plain view, however, there are exceptions. For instance, Clark County requires you to have a registration to open carry, and you must carry your registration with you when you are carrying a gun. Some cities such as North Las Vegas and Boulder City have "deadly weapon" laws, and you could be cited or arrested if you pass through their jurisdictions with a firearm in your vehicle. The make model and caliber of each firearm to be listed on the permit is also required. An individual may have up to 15 firearms on one permit."

Regarding SB92:
"un-rights advocates point out that in NLV open carry is illegal, unlike the rest of the state (excluding Boulder City). When driving a car without a CCW in NLV, your gun and ammo must be separated — one part in the passenger compartment, the other in the trunk. Additionally, SB92 will remove these ordinances.
It's not just registration:
-Open carry w/o permit is banned in NLV and Boulder City;

-Clark County and its cities ban carry in parks;
HMC 8.99.030
CC & LV both have similar codes.

-There is a 72 hour wait to buy your first handgun in Henderson,NLV,LV, and Clark County;
LVMC 10.66.060
CC 12.04.080
NLV 9.36.080

And from a Nevada Q&A:
"Can I legally carry a handgun without a CFP?
The NRS does not address the carry of visible handguns. There may be local ordinances that prohibit the open carry of handguns. North Las Vegas and Boulder City are two examples.
Some cities such as North Las Vegas and Boulder City have "deadly weapon" laws, and you could be cited or arrested if you pass through their jurisdictions with a firearm in your vehicle."

It is my understanding that SB92 was expected to clear up some of the confusion around this issue, and I think it did clarify the possession issue in a vehicle. I, too, have talked to several folks who open carry in Laughlin and Vegas, but I've also talked to many who advised against it because of the vagueness of the grandfather clause and the tendency for local law enforement to "intrepret" the law as they see fit. I think it would be wise to avoid open carry in Clark County - especially Bolder City and NLV until the grandfather exemption has been over turned.

[VegasGeorge]

TCDL - Yes, you've got it right. And, I think you will find almost everything you mentioned covered in our Nevada section, provided you include the links to the State and local laws.

The blue card registration in Clark County is not for open carry per se. You need the blue card just to keep the gun in your home. And, as you mentioned, if you carry, open or concealed, you need the blue card with you.

Thanks for your contributions!