ATF rule change draws fire
By GINA B. GOOD
PVT
GINA B. GOOD / PVT
Robby Brentlinger, gunsmith and co-owner of The Master At Arms gun shop, examines a Scout bolt-action rifle he's working on for a customer at his newly remodeled store on Thousandaire Boulevard.
Buying a gun just got more expensive for what many in the firearms industry call "the good guys" - gun owners who have purchased a license and registered their fingerprints in a federal database.
Last week, Nevada gun owners with a carry concealed weapon (CCW) permit issued by the state could buy a firearm without paying for an additional background check.
However, as of Sunday, permit holders must pay the additional $25 fee for a background check each time they purchase a firearm - just like non-permitted purchasers.
Firearms dealers received a last minute notice issued by The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) less than a week before the deadline. The change does not sit well with individual permit holders - who were not notified in advance.
"My customers are already bitching up a storm," said Robby Brentlinger, who owns The Master At Arms gun shop in southern Pahrump. "It's not the background check they care about. They think it costs too much."
Nye County residents who want to carry firearms in concealment - say by wearing a shirt to cover a holster on their belt or with a specialized holster made to fit inside their waistband - pay $105 to the Nye County Sheriffs Office for a five-year permit.
According to Assistant Sheriff Rick Marshall, that amount breaks down to $45 to the state for fingerprinting, with the remaining $60 paid to the Sheriff's Office for a background investigation.
Every five years, Nevadans holding permits repeat the process, including paying the fees. Part of the deal has been that a permit holder was exempt from submitting to an instant background check when purchasing additional firearms.
In a report published in the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Saturday, an audit found that sheriff's departments in Nevada were not performing federally required annual updates on permit holders. Frank Adams, executive director of the Nevada Sheriffs and Chiefs Association, said law enforcement lacks the staff to perform the updates.
However, Marshall points out that Nye County has not done annual updates because they are not required under Nevada Revised Statute 202.366, which deals with issuance or denial of Nevada's concealed firearm permit.
While Adams said the background check could be done in a matter of minutes, gun shop owners disagree. They say telephone calls to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) can take from five to 35 minutes on hold before an operator answers.
"The people at the NICS service center are extremely nice and have always been fantastic," said Brentlinger at his newly remodeled store, located at 2391 E. Thousandaire Blvd. I'm sure they are understaffed because they take care of the whole state. Once I get through, it normally takes under five minutes for me to give the information to the operator and get a 'proceed' or 'denial.' "
An employee at another Pahrump store said, "You can always tell when there's a gun show going on because it's almost impossible to get through to NICS." He, too, commented on the impressive service given by the three service center employees he deals with on a daily basis.
"My regular customers feel like this is a slap in the face," Brentlinger said. "They are regular, upstanding citizens. The last study I saw said 99 percent of all firearms were used legally. The everyday citizens feel their rights are being infringed upon because they haven't done anything wrong, yet it feels like the government is punishing them."
While the change in the rules only means CCW holders will be treated like everyone else, Brentlinger indicated that wasn't the point. "People are angry about it, but in the long run they know it's the cost of having what they want. They have a choice. It's the lower income person who wants a gun for self-protection who is hurt the most by this. It adds another cost to their ability to protect themselves."
People who pawn guns also must pay for background checks when they retrieve their property. One man said he had a dozen firearms in a Pahrump pawnshop. He is allowed to retrieve three guns at a time by paying one $25 background check fee. However, because quality handguns cost several hundred dollars, a more likely scenario is that he will end up retrieving each gun individually - at a total added expense of $600.
In Nevada, regulations on purchasing firearms vary by county. In Nye County, there is no waiting period after passing the NICS background check. In Clark County, there is a three-day waiting period after purchasing a handgun unless the purchaser holds a permit. There is no waiting period when buying a rifle or shotgun.
Non-Nevada residents are also eligible to apply for a concealed carry permit. The county issues three-year permits to out-of-state visitors if they pass requirements.
Marshall said his office is taking a careful look at such individuals. "We have had a problem with some of the providers," he said, indicating instructors who give state-mandated classes and firearms proficiency tests that persons desiring a permit must pass. "We'll be checking carefully that people are applying for a permit listing the handgun they qualified with."
Private sales of firearms do not require a background check to be completed. "The government would like to stop gun sales between individuals," Brentlinger said. "They recommend that private sales are transferred through a licensed dealer who is required to call in for a background check under the law."
Brentlinger and his wife, Melissa, co-own The Master At Arms, which was formerly 23KPG. The newly remodeled and restocked shop is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The Brentlingers will be expanding the shop in the near future to include a classroom where conceal-carry classes will be held. A standard class will cost $85.
Is this just Nevada or is it everywhere?
By GINA B. GOOD
PVT
GINA B. GOOD / PVT
Robby Brentlinger, gunsmith and co-owner of The Master At Arms gun shop, examines a Scout bolt-action rifle he's working on for a customer at his newly remodeled store on Thousandaire Boulevard.
Buying a gun just got more expensive for what many in the firearms industry call "the good guys" - gun owners who have purchased a license and registered their fingerprints in a federal database.
Last week, Nevada gun owners with a carry concealed weapon (CCW) permit issued by the state could buy a firearm without paying for an additional background check.
However, as of Sunday, permit holders must pay the additional $25 fee for a background check each time they purchase a firearm - just like non-permitted purchasers.
Firearms dealers received a last minute notice issued by The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) less than a week before the deadline. The change does not sit well with individual permit holders - who were not notified in advance.
"My customers are already bitching up a storm," said Robby Brentlinger, who owns The Master At Arms gun shop in southern Pahrump. "It's not the background check they care about. They think it costs too much."
Nye County residents who want to carry firearms in concealment - say by wearing a shirt to cover a holster on their belt or with a specialized holster made to fit inside their waistband - pay $105 to the Nye County Sheriffs Office for a five-year permit.
According to Assistant Sheriff Rick Marshall, that amount breaks down to $45 to the state for fingerprinting, with the remaining $60 paid to the Sheriff's Office for a background investigation.
Every five years, Nevadans holding permits repeat the process, including paying the fees. Part of the deal has been that a permit holder was exempt from submitting to an instant background check when purchasing additional firearms.
In a report published in the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Saturday, an audit found that sheriff's departments in Nevada were not performing federally required annual updates on permit holders. Frank Adams, executive director of the Nevada Sheriffs and Chiefs Association, said law enforcement lacks the staff to perform the updates.
However, Marshall points out that Nye County has not done annual updates because they are not required under Nevada Revised Statute 202.366, which deals with issuance or denial of Nevada's concealed firearm permit.
While Adams said the background check could be done in a matter of minutes, gun shop owners disagree. They say telephone calls to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) can take from five to 35 minutes on hold before an operator answers.
"The people at the NICS service center are extremely nice and have always been fantastic," said Brentlinger at his newly remodeled store, located at 2391 E. Thousandaire Blvd. I'm sure they are understaffed because they take care of the whole state. Once I get through, it normally takes under five minutes for me to give the information to the operator and get a 'proceed' or 'denial.' "
An employee at another Pahrump store said, "You can always tell when there's a gun show going on because it's almost impossible to get through to NICS." He, too, commented on the impressive service given by the three service center employees he deals with on a daily basis.
"My regular customers feel like this is a slap in the face," Brentlinger said. "They are regular, upstanding citizens. The last study I saw said 99 percent of all firearms were used legally. The everyday citizens feel their rights are being infringed upon because they haven't done anything wrong, yet it feels like the government is punishing them."
While the change in the rules only means CCW holders will be treated like everyone else, Brentlinger indicated that wasn't the point. "People are angry about it, but in the long run they know it's the cost of having what they want. They have a choice. It's the lower income person who wants a gun for self-protection who is hurt the most by this. It adds another cost to their ability to protect themselves."
People who pawn guns also must pay for background checks when they retrieve their property. One man said he had a dozen firearms in a Pahrump pawnshop. He is allowed to retrieve three guns at a time by paying one $25 background check fee. However, because quality handguns cost several hundred dollars, a more likely scenario is that he will end up retrieving each gun individually - at a total added expense of $600.
In Nevada, regulations on purchasing firearms vary by county. In Nye County, there is no waiting period after passing the NICS background check. In Clark County, there is a three-day waiting period after purchasing a handgun unless the purchaser holds a permit. There is no waiting period when buying a rifle or shotgun.
Non-Nevada residents are also eligible to apply for a concealed carry permit. The county issues three-year permits to out-of-state visitors if they pass requirements.
Marshall said his office is taking a careful look at such individuals. "We have had a problem with some of the providers," he said, indicating instructors who give state-mandated classes and firearms proficiency tests that persons desiring a permit must pass. "We'll be checking carefully that people are applying for a permit listing the handgun they qualified with."
Private sales of firearms do not require a background check to be completed. "The government would like to stop gun sales between individuals," Brentlinger said. "They recommend that private sales are transferred through a licensed dealer who is required to call in for a background check under the law."
Brentlinger and his wife, Melissa, co-own The Master At Arms, which was formerly 23KPG. The newly remodeled and restocked shop is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The Brentlingers will be expanding the shop in the near future to include a classroom where conceal-carry classes will be held. A standard class will cost $85.
Is this just Nevada or is it everywhere?
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