Nevada firearm background checks skyrocketed in March

By Miranda Willson

Tuesday, April 7, 2020 | 2 a.m.

Las Vegas gun stores, which are permitted to stay open during the statewide closure of nonessential businesses, have reported a spike in sales in the past few weeks, especially from first-time gun owners.

But just how much have sales gone up since the coronavirus pandemic hit Nevada?

In March, the FBI processed more than 22,200 firearm background checks from Nevadans, according to reporting from the bureau’s national instant criminal background check system. That’s more than double the average number of background checks conducted monthly on Nevadans last year, the background check system numbers show.

While the numbers do not directly translate to all firearm sales in Nevada, they offer a glimpse into the rush to purchase guns and ammunition during the coronavirus pandemic.

The spike in gun sales has not correlated with any increases in violent crime in Las Vegas, said Metro Police officer Aden Ocampo-Gomez. In fact, violent crime, including domestic violence and aggravated assault, as well as property crime have gone down since the pandemic hit Nevada in full swing in mid-March, Ocampo-Gomez said.

However, generalized shootings went up by 35% between March 15-28 compared with March 1-14, he said. Generalized shootings include gunshots detected by Metro’s “shot-spotter” technology as well as calls to the police department about gunshots or gun violence, Ocampo-Gomez said.

Nevadans were not alone in their increased firearm spending habits last month as the pandemic forced schools and businesses across the country to shut down. During the week of March 16-22, the FBI processed nearly 1.2 million firearms background checks nationwide, an all-time high since the system launched in November 1998.

The increased demand for guns has now created supply shortages in Las Vegas gun stores, said Genghis Cohen, owner of Machine Gun Vegas.

“My understanding is it’s almost impossible to buy ammunition right now if you can find it. It’s very, very difficult to buy guns right now,” Cohen said.

Elite Firearms Vegas has seen a plateau in sales in the last week solely because of an inventory deficit at the store, employee Joe Potter said. Since the pandemic hit Nevada, first-time gun owners have been the largest demographic patronizing the store, Potter said.

Cohen suspects that some people stockpiled guns because they were worried the pandemic and reported shortages on toilet paper and other supplies would lead to social instability. Thankfully, those fears have not manifested, Cohen said.

“The good thing is, it doesn’t look like there are massive amounts of social unrest, which is what everyone I think was initially buying guns for,” he said.

Nonetheless, the spike in generalized shootings alarms Stephanie Pizzoferrato, a Las Vegas native and state communications lead with Moms Demand Action Nevada.

The nonprofit, which advocates policies to promote gun safety and reduce gun violence, is working to educate people about the importance of safely storing one’s firearms, especially now. With Las Vegas’ children and teenagers cooped up in their homes, young people could be more likely to obtain their parents’ firearms if they are not secured, said Pizzoferrato, a gun violence survivor.

“Our focus right now is on educating our friends, our family and our contacts on social media about securing their firearms properly so that we prevent unintentional shootings by children or by teen suicide,” she said.

While Moms Demand Action supports responsible gun storage, with many of the organization’s members owning guns themselves, Pizzoferrato stressed that gun owners should take all precautions. Research shows that storing weapons and ammunition separately and securing firearms with a jack or cable lock reduces the risk of accidental shootings and suicides, she said.

Some local gun shop owners recognize the risks associated with the pandemic-fueled rise in new gun owners who might have limited knowledge of gun safety and lack proper training. That’s why the Range 702 has been offering free one-on-one training courses, said Kris Chanski, chief operating officer at the store and shooting range.

The courses typically cost $50 per session, but because many Las Vegans are financially stressed during this time, the classes are free and available by appointment, Chanski said. Although the lessons are private in order to encourage social distancing, they still include physical contact with an instructor.

Machine Gun Vegas offered similar one-on-one training for a period during the pandemic, but suspended the service out of consideration for employees’ health, Cohen said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all Americans practice social distancing — maintain at least a six-foot distance from those outside their household — to reduce the risk of contracting coronavirus.

“We sat down and looked at the potential health risk to our employees,” Cohen said. “As a result, it just felt like they’re already at enough risk going to the grocery store and the supermarket without us adding to that.”

Gun stores that are still open, such as Elite Firearms Vegas, are encouraging customers to keep a six-foot distance and limiting the number of people in the store.

“If we get more than two or three people in here, we make them wait outside,” Potter said.

While some gun stores and shooting ranges, such as the Clark County Shooting Complex, have voluntarily stopped operations, they cannot be forced to close. Under NRS 414.155, the governor of Nevada cannot use an emergency declaration or other emergency powers to impose new restrictions on the “lawful possession, transfer, sale, carrying, storage, display or use of” firearms and ammunition.

Chanski said she appreciates that Nevada supports gun shops during this time.

“I believe being able to protect myself and my family is essential, and I am glad the government agrees,” she said.