LV Metro BANS CCW Classes for Now Citing Gov's Orders

Las Vegas Metro Police sent notice to all CCW instructors that the instructors must immediately cease all courses and qualifications. Metro will honor certificates from classes completed prior to this notice and will notify instructors when they may with Metro's permission resume teaching classes.

Presumably this has to do with social distancing and keeping classes to small sizes. There is nothing wrong with having a small, private class of say half-a-dozen. Or allowing tele-instruction except for the shoot portion.

This decree seems to ignore the fact that many instructors have moved to small group private lessons where social distancing can be maintained. Metro has not offered any alternatives or seems to have applied any rational basis to this decision. The lack of an end date does not seem to pass constitutional muster. 

First, Nevada's firearm emergency regulation preemption law, NRS 415.155, is vague in that it prohibits restrictions on the "use" of firearms. While the intent of the section was to prevent firearm confiscation as happened in New Orleans after Katrina, it is disturbing to see the government effectively denying people the ability to obtain and renew concealed firearm permits.

Now Metro would certainly argue (as the courts and government as a whole) tongue-in-cheek, that concealed carry is a privilege and that open carry is the constitutionally protected form of carry. Of course, the police and government don't want people to carry openly and given their druthers would have people be armed only by permit. In this state's history, many municipalities have regulated all forms of carry.

Most people prefer to carry concealed, so denying new gun owners and renewing permittees the ability to legally carry concealed results in a de facto denial of the right to carry. Yet the government and courts have long ignored the social choices and reasoning for citizens to conceal their firearms, instead continuing on a campaign of 200 years to demonize carrying a gun, doubly so under clothing.

A good lawyer would argue on appeal that if his client was unable to apply for or obtain a permit, then any charges of carrying concealed without a permit should be dismissed. I would not advocate anyone carry concealed without a permit at this time. Carry openly in a good holster, keep your head on a swivel, and join the fight for gun rights.

This order doesn't apply to gun safety training. That would be impossible to regulate as the class could move to the desert or be done under the nose of police (or privately in homes. Metro is relying on the fact that instructors must date the certificates and applications for their trainees and will just deny the applications in between today and whenever, nullifying the training.

There is no word as to whether or not Metro will issue temporary permits to people due renewals as some counties have (Lincoln County declared a blanket extension in the country). 

Because of the inability for many people to obtain permits, or even be trained during this "downtime," (and the bit about people preferring concealed carry above) this is tantamount to a denial of the right to bear arms. This crisis has demonstrated a vast over-reach of the government in many arenas and is a perfect example of why gun control must go. From here forward, gun owners new and veteran must work together to make Nevada (and all states) a permit-free state.

And to Metro and all sheriffs, this incident will be Exhibit 1 in the movement to abolish the permission slips for concealed carry.

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