AB245 significantly tightens Nevada’s firearm restrictions for young adults and older minors. The bill makes it a gross misdemeanor for anyone under 21 to possess or control a semiautomatic shotgun or semiautomatic centerfire rifle, with limited exceptions for military members, law-enforcement officers, and 18-20-year-olds engaged in specific regulated activities (such as shooting ranges, competitions, hunting, or predatory-animal control). It creates matching penalties for adults who aid or allow someone under 21 to possess these firearms, and expands negligent-storage rules to include risks involving persons under 21. The bill also amends existing law for minors: children 14 and older may no longer use semiautomatic shotguns or centerfire rifles under the hunting and training exceptions, and additional secure-storage requirements apply when firearms are kept in the home. Finally, it makes it a category B felony—punishable by 1 to 6 years in prison and up to a $5,000 fine—to sell or barter a semiautomatic shotgun or centerfire rifle to anyone under 21.

The Nevada State Assembly passed AB245 on April 22, 2025 by a vote of 27 to 15. We have assigned pluses to the nays because this legislation is a direct and egregious assault on the constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms. By criminalizing law-abiding adults under 21 for possessing commonly owned firearms—and by stripping hunting and training rights from minors long trusted with responsible firearm use—AB245 treats God-given rights as government-granted privileges. The Second Amendment does not expire based on age, nor does it permit states to ban entire classes of firearms that are in common use. This legislation punishes responsible families, hunters, and young adults while doing nothing to deter violent criminals, who already ignore gun laws. AB245 is not about public safety; it is about expanding state control, normalizing prohibition, and eroding individual liberty through fear and felony threats.