LAS VEGAS, NV — Firearm sales across Nevada remain on hold as the state continues to deal with the fallout of a cyberattack that crippled its background check system on August 24. Without functioning checks, federally licensed dealers cannot legally transfer firearms to customers who do not already hold a concealed carry permit.
In a video update posted to Instagram, Nathan from Spartan Arms in Las Vegas explained that the outage, now approaching its second week, has left dealers with a growing backlog of pending firearm transfers. He noted the problem stems from the system’s connection to the Nevada DMV, which has also been offline.
“As you guys know, the background check system is down. It’s connected to the DMV, which obviously the DMV is down,” he said. “We’ve got a huge stack of background checks that we’re going to have to go through. Believe me, we do not want to hold on to your guns any longer than we have to.”
According to a memo from the Nevada Department of Public Safety, the state’s Brady Point of Contact Firearms program is unable to process firearm transfers until systems are restored. Because Nevada has been a full “point of contact” state since 1998, dealers cannot bypass the state by going directly through the FBI’s NICS system.
Dealers across the state expressed frustration that the outage has essentially frozen lawful firearm sales. Some customers with concealed carry permits have still been able to take possession of firearms, as those approvals process through a different channel, but others are left waiting indefinitely.
Gun store owners say the situation raises serious constitutional concerns. “Our rights have been put on hold and you can’t really do that,” said Michael Alaimo, owner of Rightful Liberty Arms in Reno. “The state’s priority should be the constitutional rights of the citizens.”
Marcus Hodges, assistant general manager at Reno Guns & Range, said he has a table “piling up with firearms” waiting for clearance. “It’s very frustrating. There are some people that are foregoing the sale at this point in time. Unfortunately, it’s affecting everybody in the state,” he said.
Governor Joe Lombardo addressed the issue in a press conference, assuring Nevadans that no state financial data or DMV records were lost in the attack, but provided no firm timeline for when firearm background check services would resume.
This outage highlights how fragile firearm access can be when state-controlled systems go offline. While background checks are federally mandated, Nevada’s designation as a point-of-contact state prevents dealers from using federal systems directly. As a result, lawful buyers are unable to exercise their Second Amendment rights until the state restores services. Dealers are urging customers to remain patient but are calling on state leadership to prioritize the restoration of firearm transfers.
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