Nevada

Nevada is protected—for now—from machine-gun ruling

Published

4 months ago

July 15, 2025

Nevada is protected—for now—from machine-gun ruling

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Nevada residents won’t be receiving devices that allow semi-automatic rifles to fire at the rate of a fully automatic machine gun, thanks to a settlement worked out by the state’s lawyers.

But hundreds of other people across the country are eligible to receive so-called force reset triggers, under a lawsuit negotiated by the U.S. government and firearms manufacturers.

The move comes after an executive order from President Donald Trump prompted a review of the government’s regulation of firearms in general, and a reversal of the government’s position in two key cases.

Meanwhile, a lawsuit filed by 16 states, including Nevada, seeks to ban forced reset triggers using the reasoning the federal government formerly employed in its own legal actions.

“Especially coming from a state like Nevada, where we’ve experienced a mass shooting, we don’t want these forms of devices, predominantly because it’s against our law”, said Attorney General Aaron Ford. “But secondly, we have personal experience on these, what happens when these types of things are placed into the wrong hands.”

Fully automatic fire

A semi-automatic rifle, such as the Armalite Rifle 15, or AR-15, fires a single round every time the trigger is pressed. The trigger must be released for a new round to be inserted into the chamber.

But a forced reset trigger — sometimes called FRT — allows a weapon to fire rounds as long as the trigger is held down, similar to the operation of a military-style M4 or M16 rifle. In fully automatic mode, the weapon will continue firing until its magazine is empty.

The forced reset trigger is installed internally, and it may not be readily apparent to an observer that the weapon has been modified.

Fully automatic weapons are generally prohibited to civilians, as are devices that allow semi-automatic weapons to fire at fully automatic rates, under the National Firearms Act of 1934, the Gun Control Act of 1968 and the Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986.

Banned in Nevada

After the deadly 1 October shooting in 2017, the Nevada Legislature banned so-called bump stocks, which are devices affixed externally to a rifle’s stock that use the recoil of the rifle to achieve continuous fire.

The perpetrator of 1 October used rifles equipped with bump stocks to rain gunfire on a crowd at the Route 91 Harvest music festival on the Las Vegas Strip.

Under Nevada law, passed in 2019, it’s illegal to import, sell or possess any device that “…materially increases the rate of fire of the semi-automatic firearm or approximates the action or rate of fire of a machine gun.”

That language applies equally to bump stocks as well as forced reset triggers.

And the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Tobacco formerly took the view that forced reset triggers were devices that turned semi-automatic rifles into illegal machine guns. Starting in 1975, the ATF classified devices similar to forced reset triggers as machine gun devices.

Changing stances

As of last summer, the ATF had taken possession of at least 11,884 forced reset trigger devices under its regulations and brought legal actions against their manufacturers.

In August 2023, however, gun rights groups and trigger makers sued the ATF, challenging the rules classifying the triggers as machine gun devices. A Texas federal judge agreed with the plaintiffs and ordered the AFT to stop enforcing its regulations and to return forced reset triggers to their previous owners, even in states where the law prohibited them, such as Nevada.

The government eventually said it would return the devices, but only in places where they were legal, an approach the gun makers objected to, saying the federal government could not be trusted with interpreting state laws.

On February 7, however, President Trump issued an executive order to protect Second Amendment rights, prompting a Justice Department review of all gun regulations. The AFT subsequently withdrew its lawsuits against the trigger makers and agreed to return all triggers previously seized from owners.

But lawyers representing Nevada and other states secured an agreement: no triggers would be returned to states where the law bans them. Ford said the deal would protect the state, at least temporarily, but that loopholes persist.

“We have said that they will not be shipped to Nevada,” said Ford. “But our borders are porous, intrastate borders are porous, to be sure. So a gun that’s delivered to Utah, or an FRT that’s delivered to Utah may very well find its way across the border into Mesquite or something. At the end of the day, these are very real issues that we have to address.”

Ford said he would make enforcement of gun laws — including possession or use of forced reset triggers — a priority for his office.

“It’s one of the highest levels of priority, because I’ve always supported common-sense gun safety measures that are going to keep the public safe, and that’s what this is about.”

That’s why Nevada is continuing as a plaintiff in the case State of New Jersey v. Bondi, which asks a court to find that the ATF’s old viewpoint — that forced reset triggers create machine guns out of regular semi-automatic rifles — is the law, and thus ban them nationwide.

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Nevada

Nevada attorney general joins multi-state lawsuit over SNAP benefit cuts during government shutdown

Published

12 hours ago

October 28, 2025

Press Room

Nevada attorney general joins multi-state lawsuit over SNAP benefit cuts during government shutdown

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford announced Tuesday he is joining a multi-state lawsuit against the Trump administration over cuts to federal food assistance benefits amid the ongoing government shutdown.

As the shutdown enters its fourth week, approximately 500,000 Nevadans who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, face uncertainty about their November benefits. Our state typically receives around $90 million per month in federal SNAP funding.

WATCH | Anyssa Bohanan breaks down some of the ways the shutdown is affecting Southern Nevadans

Nevada SNAP to go without funding as government shutdown stretches on

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says on their website that SNAP benefits will not be distributed starting Nov. 1, stating “the well has run dry” and pointing to Senate Democrats as the reason for the shutdown. Nationally, SNAP helps approximately 42 million Americans.

WATCH | Scripps News speaks with USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins about the ongoing shutdown, impact to SNAP benefits

Agriculture secretary says emergency fund isn’t enough to cover SNAP benefits

However, attorneys general from 23 states and the District of Columbia argue the USDA is making a “deliberate” decision to withhold contingency funds that exist for exactly this scenario.

RELATED STORY | DoorDash, restaurants offer free help as SNAP funding lapses during shutdown

“The Trump Administration’s choice to cut SNAP benefits is not only a deliberate, cruel and extraordinarily harmful decision, it is unlawful. And the reason it cites — the ongoing federal government shutdown — is inadequate,” Ford said in a news release.

In an agency memo obtained by Scripps News, the USDA says they are saving more than $5 billion in contingency funds for more immediate emergencies like “hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods, that can come on quickly and without notice.” Further, the agency says the appropriations for regular monthly benefits do not exist anymore due to the shutdown, and they will not reimburse states who try providing benefits themselves.

“Contingency funds exist for this exact scenario, yet the USDA has decided to abdicate its responsibility to Nevadans and refused to fund SNAP benefits. I understand the stress of not knowing where your next meal is coming from, because I’ve lived it. I don’t wish that stress on any Nevadan, and I’ll fight to be sure nobody in our state goes hungry. I urge Governor Lombardo to do the same and to work with his party and President Trump to ensure that Nevadans receive their SNAP benefits,” Ford continued.

Gov. Joe Lombardo has urged the federal government to end their standstill, citing its harmful effects on Nevada in letters sent our federal delegation, specifically over SNAP.

In the 51-page lawsuit, attorneys general claim the lapse in SNAP benefits would bring more harm beyond just those who rely on the program, but also local governments, school systems and food pantries as their supplies can’t meet the spike in demand.

WATCH | Steve Sebelius speaks with local food pantry over the SNAP benefit crisis

Members of Congress, Governor Trade Letters Over SNAP amid Shutdown

Ford joins attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin in the lawsuit. The governors of Kansas, Kentucky and Pennsylvania have also joined the suit.

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Nevada

Nevada-grown tree begins journey to become Capitol Christmas Tree

Published

1 day ago

October 27, 2025

Press Room

Nevada-grown tree begins journey to become Capitol Christmas Tree

The Nevada Air National Guard in Reno will unveil a 53-foot Christmas tree on Tuesday — a Nevada-grown red fir that will travel across the country to the U.S. Capitol Building.

According to a news release from the Nevada Air National Guard, the tree was grown in the Carson Ranger District and has been temporarily housed at its Reno base. The Guard transported the tree on Sunday for decoration ahead of its whistle-stop tour through Nevada and beyond.

The tree will also appear in Carson City for the Nevada Day Parade on Saturday before continuing its journey east.

The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree initiative is a 55-year tradition in which one of America’s 154 national forests provides a tree for the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol during the holiday season.

Jim Kaufmann, executive director of Capitol grounds and arboretum at the architect of the Capitol, selected this year’s tree from nine candidates identified by Forest Service staff in the Carson Ranger District in northern Nevada and the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area outside Las Vegas.

“Selecting a tree to adorn the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol is a great honor,” Kaufmann said in a previous Forest Service release. “Forest Service staff showed me nine wonderful candidates during my visit. Ultimately, we selected a magnificent red fir to represent the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and Nevada at the U.S. Capitol during the 2025 holiday season.”

The red fir, or Abies magnifica, grows at higher elevations and is known for its blue-green needles that point upward and dense, sturdy branches — ideal for displaying ornaments, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Contact Akiya Dillon at adillon@reviewjournal.com.

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Nevada

Nevada Day Treasure Hunt Medallion has been found by Carson City family – Carson Now

Published

2 days ago

October 26, 2025

Press Room

Nevada Day Treasure Hunt Medallion has been found by Carson City family – Carson Now

After 15 clues and weeks of searching, Greg Saunders of Carson City, along with his wife, 1 year old daughter, and faithful dog, have found the 2025 Nevada Day Treasure Hunt Medallion, ending this year’s hunt with an exciting discovery.

The Nevada Day Treasure Hunt Committee met with the family on Sunday, October 26, at Rancho San Rafael Regional Park in Reno to present them with the official medallion and a $1,000 prize.

Now in its 24th year, the Nevada Day Treasure Hunt has become a cherished tradition for families across the state. Each fall, participants decipher daily clues that draw on Nevada’s rich history, culture, and geography to locate a hidden medallion placed somewhere on public land.

“This event really brings people together,” said Michele Montoya of the Nevada Day Treasure Hunt Committee. “It’s about learning Nevada’s history, exploring new places, and enjoying the thrill of the hunt.”

This year’s clues guided hunters across central Nevada, referencing landmarks tied to the Pony Express, the Overland Telegraph, and early settlers. The final clue revealed the treasure’s resting place near the Edwards Creek Valley Historical Marker in Churchill County.

Next year will mark the 25th anniversary of the Nevada Day Treasure Hunt, and organizers are already planning a larger celebration for the milestone event.

For more information and to follow next year’s hunt, visit www.nevadadaytreasurehunt.org, or follow on social media.

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