Non-Residents Can Get Their NV CCW Faster with This One Weird Trick!

​Due to 2020 (everything that happened last year), Clark and Washoe Counties have been heavily impacted by concealed firearm permit (CCW) applications. Some citizens are reporting that they have a three month wait to get an appointment. While Nevada has a four-month deadline to approve or deny permit applications (NRS 202.366), that clock stops when the application and fingerprints are turned in. That means some people will be waiting seven months for to receive their permit.
 
You, as a prospective Nevada resident have a way around this. Non-residents can apply to any sheriff in the state; not just Las Vegas Metro and the Washoe County Sheriff. Counties that aren’t home to Vegas and Reno have less application volume and thus faster processing times.
 
So as a non-resident, take the required course from a certified instructor. Apply in a rural county. Nye County (Pahrump), Carson City, Douglas County, Story County (Virginia City), and Churchill County (Fallon) are going to be the most accessible counties for non-residents. This way, you will have your permit approved in weeks to a month or two.
 
When you actually move to Nevada, simply file a change of address with the sheriff who issued your permit. Your permit is still legal to carry on, even if you live in a different county than the permit was issued in. This is legal because you weren’t a Nevada resident when you got the permit and there is no penalty for not moving to the county that issued the permit.
 
So, if you apply in Nye County as a California resident, but move to Vegas (go away, we’re full), all you do is change your address with New County to your new home in Las Vegas. After five years, when your permit expires, you would then apply with the sheriff of the county you live in (Clark), which is Las Vegas Metro PD.
 
Remember that non-residents have a 60 day grace in which their out-of-state permit is considered valid in Nevada (NRS 202.3688). Your out-of-state permit must be on Nevada’s reciprocity list.
 
Unfortunately, the 120 day deadline to issue isn’t short enough (especially with the application/finger appointment delays) to coincide. Even so, it’s something important to keep in mind, especially if you are moving to a rural county with faster issuance times.
 
In either case, you can openly carry until your permit is issued; and after too. Open carry is legal in more places that concealed carry is. Open carry in Nevada requires no permit and is accepted even in urban Las Vegas. Be sure to use a retention holster and maintain situational awareness at all times.